The rules that apply in India
The Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 put extended producer responsibility on everyone who places batteries on the Indian market, including EV batteries. Producers and recyclers register on the CPCB's centralised EPR portal. Registered recyclers generate EPR certificates for the quantities they process, and producers buy these to meet their collection targets. The rules also set rising material recovery targets and phase in minimum use of domestically recycled content.
India's end-of-life volume is dominated by two- and three-wheeler packs and LFP-based passenger and fleet vehicles, with a large informal scrap channel still being formalised.
What producers and holders must do
Producer responsibility follows whoever placed the battery on the market, but the practical burden often lands on the fleet or workshop holding the retired asset.
- Register as a producer on the CPCB EPR portal and file annual returns
- Meet EPR targets with certificates from registered recyclers
- Use recyclers holding State Pollution Control Board consent to operate
- Plan for rising minimum recovery and recycled-content requirements
Local permitting around Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
The refinery is permitted by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, with effluent, air emission and hazardous-chemical conditions typical of acid-leaching plants. As a registered recycler under the Battery Waste Management Rules 2022, it generates the recovery evidence that producers file on the CPCB EPR portal. Its SEZ location adds customs controls on any imported feed or exported product.
The document set
Retired packs move as hazardous goods by road under central motor vehicle rules, and export needs Basel-compliant permissions. Each consignment carries a dangerous goods declaration, a transporter authorisation, a weighbridge record and a chain-of-custody sheet.
| Document | When | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous goods declaration | Before pickup | UN 3480 / UN 3481 classification and damage status |
| Chain-of-custody sheet | At handover | Links serials to transporter and destination |
| Weighbridge record | At gate-in | Verified mass for certificates and settlement |
| Recovery certificate | After processing | Quantity, recovery per metal and downstream vendors |
Booking a collection in the Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu catchment
These site-specific notes help collections run on time.
- Whole packs are not accepted; route them through a grading or integrated campus first and the black mass will follow.
- Black mass must arrive in sealed, labelled bulk bags with an assay report or at least a declared chemistry.
- Deliveries are scheduled against SEZ gate windows, and imported material needs customs paperwork before arrival.
- Moisture above the agreed limit is recorded at the weighbridge and reflected in settlement.