India's dry cell makers warn 2025 battery recycling rules could shutter domestic manufacturing
Eveready, Nippo, Panasonic Energy and Duracell flag that Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 — mandating 50% collection from year one with EPR credits priced at ₹166-555/kg against ₹300/kg virgin zinc — make compliance economically unviable. Eveready pegs cost at ₹50 crore vs ₹6 crore FY26 profit.
What happened
Battery Waste Management Rules 2022, effective 2025, mandate 50% collection from year one with EPR credits costing ₹166-555/kg. Eveready, Nippo, Panasonic,
Key facts
- 2.2 billion units/year
- 50% collection mandate
- ₹50 crore EPR cost
- ₹6 crore FY26 profit
- 85% zinc-carbon share
- 20% current recovery
- ₹166-₹555/kg credits
- ₹300/kg virgin zinc
What to watch
- MoEFCC notification amending BWMR 2022 collection targets or EPR pricing
- Eveready FY26 profit warning or capex deferral announcement
- CPCB publishing list of registered recyclers and actual EPR credit transaction prices
- Any factory closure or layoff announcement from the four named manufacturers
- Supreme Court/NGT intervention on environmental compliance enforcement
- Monitor Eveready Industries (EVEREADY.NS) stock for guidance cuts in Q3FY26 earnings
- Track CEAMA/AIDCM joint representations to MoEFCC and PMO
- Watch for writ petitions in Delhi/Bombay HC challenging EPR credit pricing
- Scan customs data for dry cell import volume spikes from China/Vietnam
- Assess Panasonic Energy India and Indo-National (Nippo) parent company disclosures