Collective collection system for industrial batteries on the way

Energy Storage NL, BMWT, and Holland Solar, together with the OPEN Foundation, have announced their intention to UPV Industrial Batteries Foundation to be established. Through this new producer organization, producers and importers are expected to be able to collectively fulfill their legal responsibility for the registration, collection, and processing of industrial batteries starting in 2027. With this, the sector is taking an important step toward a safe, circular, and future-proof battery supply chain in the Netherlands.

Growth requires an effective collection system

Industrial batteries are playing an increasingly important role in the electrification of society and the energy transition. Home batteries and large-scale energy storage systems help households and businesses manage energy more efficiently and contribute to a reliable energy system. The market is growing rapidly: in the first seven months of 2026, 38,230 new batteries were registered in the national CERES registry maintained by the grid operators. That is 85 percent more than the 20,596 registrations for all of 2025. The number of home batteries, in particular, is rising sharply.

Extended Producer Responsibility

Manufacturers and importers who place batteries on the Dutch market are responsible for those batteries during the waste phase under the Extended Producer Responsibility (UPV) scheme. Among other things, they must ensure registration, collection, and processing. Companies can organize this independently or join a collective system. There is currently no collective producer organization for industrial batteries in the Netherlands. With the proposed establishment of the UPV Industrial Batteries Foundation, the relevant industry organizations aim to change this.

Arendo Schreurs, director of Energy Storage NL: “With this exploratory study, we are examining whether a joint foundation can contribute to a workable and efficient implementation of producer responsibility within the energy storage sector. In doing so, we are taking an important step toward greater circularity and improved recovery of critical raw materials, while allowing producers and importers to effectively organize their responsibilities.”

Phased rollout starting in 2027

In the first phase, the collective system will focus on batteries brought to the Dutch market by manufacturers affiliated with Energy Storage NL, BMWT, and Holland Solar. These include home batteries, energy storage systems, and traction batteries,

For example, for forklifts with a power output of up to 1 megawatt. Larger systems and batteries from other segments can be added at a later stage.

The plan is for producers and importers to be able to register for the collective system starting January 1, 2027. Actual collection and processing are then scheduled to begin on July 1, 2027.

The OPEN Foundation as the implementing organization

Under the proposed structure, the OPEN Foundation will act as the implementing organization on behalf of the UPV Industrial Batteries Foundation. The OPEN Foundation already organizes the collection and processing of discarded electrical appliances, light bulbs, batteries, bicycle batteries, and solar panels. With this knowledge, experience, and infrastructure, the organization is a logical choice to coordinate the supply chain for the new collective system.

Jan Vlak, Executive Director of the OPEN Foundation: “There is currently no collective framework for producer responsibility regarding industrial batteries. These large batteries have been on the market in the Netherlands for several years now, and we expect their numbers to increase exponentially in the coming years. It is therefore of great social importance that we have an effective collection system in place for them. The OPEN Foundation has all the necessary knowledge and experience to set this up and implement it.”