India · BWMR 2022, BPAN (draft), DPDP Act 2023
India regulates batteries through the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, a strict EPR regime run on a CPCB portal. A lifecycle battery identity — the Battery Pack Aadhaar Number (BPAN) — was proposed in draft guidelines in January 2026.
All regulations · Last reviewed: 2 October 2026
The Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 (BWMR), notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in August 2022, apply to all battery types, including EV batteries. Producers (manufacturers and importers) must register on the Central Pollution Control Board’s centralised portal and meet extended producer responsibility targets for collection and recycling or refurbishment, evidenced through EPR certificates generated by registered recyclers and refurbishers.
The Rules set material-recovery targets for recyclers and, from financial year 2027-28, a minimum share of domestically recycled material in new batteries. They have been amended several times; the Battery Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2025 (24 February 2025) allow the EPR registration number to be shown via a QR code or barcode.
In January 2026 the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways published draft guidelines for a Battery Pack Aadhaar Number (BPAN): a 21-character unique identifier for each battery pack with lifecycle data from sourcing to end of life. At review this remained a draft; it is the closest Indian analogue to a battery passport.
Scope
Must register with CPCB, meet EPR collection and recycling targets, label batteries and file returns.
Must register with CPCB / state pollution control boards and meet material-recovery targets; only they can generate EPR certificates.
EV batteries fall under BWMR; BPAN, if finalised, would require an identifier for L, M and N category EV batteries.
Imported batteries and battery-containing products count towards the importer’s EPR obligation.
Obligations
Ordered roughly by when they apply. Status reflects the position on the review date.
Notified Aug 2022
EPR for all battery categories, registration on the CPCB portal, collection targets, environmental compensation for non-compliance, and a ban on landfilling and incineration of waste batteries.
70% (2024-25) → 90% (2026-27 onward)
Recyclers must recover a minimum share of battery materials by dry weight, rising to 90% from 2026-27.
24 Feb 2025
The 2025 amendment allows the EPR registration number to be provided through a QR code or barcode on the battery, packaging or equipment.
Draft published Jan 2026
Proposed 21-character unique ID per battery pack for L, M and N category EV batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh, with lifecycle data from raw-material sourcing to recycling. Final notification and dates to be confirmed.
5% in 2027-28 → 20% in 2030-31
Producers must use a minimum share of domestically recycled materials in new EV batteries, increasing each year.
Rules notified 14 Nov 2025; core duties ~May 2027
Consent-manager provisions take effect 12 months after notification (November 2026) and most data-fiduciary obligations 18 months after (mid-May 2027). MeitY consulted in early 2026 on shortening this to 12 months; check the current notification.
Data
The information an operator needs to hold, publish or report, grouped by audience.
EVstring
An honest mapping from obligation to product capability. EVstring supports compliance work; it does not make an operator compliant on its own.
| Obligation / need | EVstring capability | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Track each producer’s batteries from sale to recycling | Lifecycle events and ownership transfers per battery; regulator view by producer and state | Available |
| Only registered recyclers may recycle | Licensed-recycler verifiable credentials that gate the recycled state (revocation blocks the action) | In development |
| Material recovery evidence | Per-battery material-recovery records (kg of Li, Co, Ni, Mn, Cu, Al) | Available |
| Recycled-content documentation | Recycled-content fields on the passport, backed by hashed certificates | Available |
| CPCB EPR returns | Exports shaped for CPCB portal returns | Roadmap |
| BPAN identifier | Configurable passport ID with a cross-reference field for a notified Indian identifier | Roadmap |
| DPDP-compliant handling of personal data | Personal data kept off-chain and erasable; VINs only as salted hashes; deployment region configurable | Available |
Full requirement-by-requirement view: compliance mapping.
Sources
Primary texts and regulator pages used for this guide. Last reviewed: 2 October 2026.