Regulatory and Socioeconomic Interventions
Changes in the behaviour of users and industrial actors may be voluntary, but regulation will also be needed. Interventions appear to fall into two general categories; (1) wider sustainability issues such as sustainable supply and trading or sustainable business models; and (2) measures that relate more specifically to LIB materials, including technical standardisation and design for disassembly.
Addressing resource depletion
Given the lack of domestic production and processing of many of the technology metals in LIBs and given the impacts of, one policy option is to reduce the number of cars in circulation.
This might lead to measures and outcomes discussed in the Take the bus narrative which broadly include investment in public transportation infrastructure and incentives to use public transport in order to avoid more road building and traffic congestion – however these measures are hard to achieve.
Addressing materials’ security
The vulnerability of the UK given its limited domestic supply of LIB materials and its rapidly rising demand for technology metals rises in the face of energy transitions, (Ahuja et al., 20251). Therefore, interventions may be directed at to improving such supply.
The measures are considered in the two narratives: Start at the beginning; and Missing the midstream. These interventions seek to facilitate sustainable production and processing of relevant metals. The UK Critical Minerals strategy (BEIS, 2022; DBT, 20232) is clear that collaboration with key trading partners will be necessary to access technology metals. Collaborative trade in EVs, batteries and battery materials will also be crucial. This is covered in the narrative Cars made are not cars we drive where suggested interventions are directed at facilitating trade to combat protectionism and promote sustainability.
Avoiding waste arisings
In view of the externalities attaching to waste, regulation could help avoid the generation of waste and promote effective waste management as a LIB leaves the market.
This may include restrictions on disposal (which already exist for landfill) or safety measures given the volatility and consequent dangers of waste of LIBs (requiring safety standards for and licensing of those conducting battery dismantling or transporting waste batteries). Effective waste management will also include facilitating repair, re-use and recycling by the effective recovery of technology metals aided by eco-design (see LIB Materials Value Chain diagram). These types of measures are reviewed in the narratives: Maximise the value and Design for longer life vs recycle / modular.
Encouraging better stewardship of materials
Better care of and responsibility for technology metals within products such as LIBs can ensure their more efficient utilisation.
This may be by the creation of space for innovation as in the narrative on Changing battery chemistry, but it also comes from promoting producer responsibility for products on the market as in the narratives on Power of EPR and Resource-as-a-service.
International standards and improving socioeconomic outcomes
There are various initiatives underway to help ensure that primary minerals production, manufacturing, and recycling are done to high environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards for LIBs.
These need to include supply chain assurance initiatives to make sure that users and manufactures have some confidence in the origins and standards to which their products have been made. Examples include: the Global Battery Alliance and its work towards a battery passport3, as required for the EU Critical Raw Materials Act4, BSI standards roadmap5 and ISO standards, such as ISO / TC 333 for lithium6.
Other examples aimed at increasing ESG performance (IEA, 20247) include responsible mining schemes, such as the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance8 and the ICMM consolidated standard9. The UN Resource Management System considers wider sustainability issues such as sustainable supply and trading or sustainable business models (UNECE, 202310). Responsible behaviour applies to research and innovation too (Responsible Research and Innovation report, 20255).
1. Geopolitics of Access to Critical Minerals Necessary to Support Energy Transition. (2025). Global Energy Law and Sustainability, 163-181, Ahuja, J., Lee, R., & Cavoski, A.
2. BEIS (2022, UK government's "Resilience for the Future: The UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy” DBT (2023) Critical minerals refresh: delivering resilience in a changing global environment.
3. Global Battery Alliance, Battery Passport Programme, https://www.globalbattery.org/battery-passport/
4. Boons, F., Mahanty, S., Pettit, C., Wall, F., Hudson-Edwards, K. and Cavoski, A., (2025) Responsible Research and Innovation report, https://met4tech.org/resources/publications/
5. BSI (British Standards Institution). Battery manufacturing and technology standards roadmap. Developed by BSI as part of the BSI Faraday Battery Challenge Programme July 2021. https://www.bsigroup.com/globalassets/localfiles/en-gb/faraday-battery-challenge/fbc-battery-manufacturing-and-technology-roadmap.pdf
6. ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, ISO / TC 333 for Lithium, https://www.iso.org/committee/8031128.html
7. IEA (2024) Critical Minerals Global Outlook. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-critical-minerals-outlook-2024/market-review. Accessed 23.2.2025.
8. The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), https://responsiblemining.net/
9. The Consolidated Mining Standards Initiative (CMSI) brings together aspects of four standards – The Copper Mark, Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM), World Gold Council’s Responsible Gold Mining Principles and ICMM’s Mining Principles – into one global standard for mining companies, https://miningstandardinitiative.org/
10. UNECE (2023), https://www.un-ilibrary.org/content/books/9789210023917; and the United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS), https://unece.org/sustainable-energy/unfc-and-sustainable-resource-management/unrms
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