Lithium cells and lithium batteries - shipping, storage, handling and disposal
Whether laptops, smartphones, tools, remote controls or electric cars, lithium-containing batteries and rechargeable batteries have become indispensable in everyday business operations.
To ensure the seamless use of lithium cells and batteries within your company, a wide range of regulations must be observed and integrated into your existing processes—or new procedures must be implemented where necessary. These include, among others, transport regulations for road, sea, and air, as well as requirements from immission control legislation, the Circular Economy Act, and health and safety law.
Whatever type of lithium batteries you employ in your business, we ensure that nothing is left to chance when it comes to shipping, storage, handling, and disposal.
How you can benefit from our experience
"As a volunteer firefighter, I often witness the devastating consequences that improper handling can cause. That's why I work with our customers every day to sensitise people and companies to the dangers."
Marcel Lobstedt | Expert for dangerous goods and lithium batteries
This is also confirmed by our customers
"At Instagrid, we have developed the world's most advanced portable lithium-ion battery system [...]. UMCO GmbH has proven to be a real stroke of luck here, without their expert advice on lithium batteries it would have been much more difficult for us as a young company to gain a foothold.
UMCO's experience helps us to assess problems, define the legal framework and present ourselves confidently in the supply chain in order to successfully realise our projects. UMCO's extensive network and their ability to bring the right people to the table has made it easier for us to find co-operation partners in the logistics sector (keyword: battery storage), especially in the early days of our business. I am very satisfied with the cooperation - both on a professional and personal level!"
Julia C. | Instagrid
Questions & answers on lithium cells and lithium batteries
The first commercial use of a lithium battery in Germany dates back to a Sony video camera in 1991. Since their invention, battery performance has increased nearly sixfold. Today, lithium batteries and lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are used in a wide range of applications: in addition to everyday items such as laptops, cameras, tablets and smartphones, they can be found in household and gardening appliances as well as in tools, and not least in e-bikes, electric cars and medical devices. In other words, everyone comes into contact with them at some point, either professionally or privately. The complex regulations therefore affect the entire supply chain: manufacturers, shippers, warehouse operators, wholesalers and retailers, end users, disposal companies, etc.
The transport of lithium-ion batteries has been subject to dangerous goods regulations since 1993. To this day, numerous additional requirements have been introduced, making the regulatory landscape exceptionally complex. Below is a selection of the key areas of legislation currently affected:
- BattG (German Battery Act)
- IATA
- ADR
- IMDG
- RID
- EU Directive 2011/65/EU
- KrWG (German Circular Economy Act)
- BImSchG (German Federal Immission Control Act)
- ArbSchG (German Occupational Health and Safety Act)
- ...
The major advantage of lithium batteries is also their greatest risk - their compact size and therefore space-optimised design. Wherever high energy densities and highly flammable electrolytes are brought together in close proximity, this increases efficiency, but also the risk of fire if the energy is released in an uncontrolled manner. This can trigger a chain reaction that is not easily stopped. Everyone has probably seen a car in a water-filled container. It can take up to 48 hours before the chain reaction is finally switched off.
