Legislative strategies for battery management toward the circular economy: a comparative study of Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Armenia

This paper examines the legislative frameworks at the European level, particularly WEEE, LiBs, and CRM, delving into the national strategies of geographically oriented nations in the European Union, identifying the key policy areas and providing points of improvement by adopting policy coherence analysis and a thematic matrix. Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy have been selected based on their CO2 emissions among EU members. In contrast, Armenia, with significant potential, willingness to adopt a circular strategy, and high CO2 emissions, has been selected as a non-EU state to provide insights. At the vertical level of the framework, both European and national strategies, a strict and innovative E-waste framework, primary raw materials reduction, sustainable design oriented, and requiring cross collaboration among involved stakeholders to advance CO2 reduction and the circular economy. Armenia has significant potential to advance its desired goals toward circularity, yet it has not adopted any transport-circular strategies. Key recommendations reveal a clear regulatory system by adopting a traceable measurement system, repair, and reuse framework to extend the life cycle of the LiBs. The alignment of design standards can support sustainable practice efforts and address environmental challenges in battery management, technological advancement, and material recovery.