EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542) at a glance
16. December 2025EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542) at a glance
16. December 2025OfH for batteries – what companies need to know now
What is an OfH?
The Organization for Producer Responsibility (OfH for short) is an essential part of the new BattDG and the EU Battery Regulation, whose main goal is to promote the circular economy with regard to batteries. From 2026, the OfH will replace manufacturer-owned or collective take-back systems for batteries in Germany.
This affects all battery categories: device batteries, batteries for light vehicles (LV batteries), electric vehicle batteries, industrial batteries, and starter batteries.
Concrete: Used batteries may only be collected and disposed of by companies that have been approved as OfH. An OfH assumes the legal obligations under the BattDG, in particular the take-back and recycling of used batteries.
What are the tasks of an OfH?
An OfH assumes, among other things:
- Collection and take-back: Setting up and financing the free take-back and collection of used batteries at collection points, including the provision of suitable and safe containers for all battery categories.
- Financial Security: Depositing a financial guarantee to ensure compliance with take-back and recovery obligations.
- Reports to the ear foundation: Reporting of quantities collected and placed on the market.
- Information obligations: An OfH must inform end consumers about the obligation to collect batteries separately, the possibilities for reusing old batteries, and the risks involved in handling batteries.
- Continuous monitoring: Approval must be recertified every 3 years by an expert.
- Publication obligations: Among other things, the OfH must publish the quantity of batteries taken back and its processes on its website on an annual basis.
OfH approvals
Interzero is an OfH approved by the stiftung ear for the battery categories of automotive (starter), electric vehicle, and industrial batteries. All approved OfHs can be found in the stiftung ear directory. The deadline is January 15, 2026; after this date, all battery registrations must be assigned to an OfH.
What manufacturers should do now
Firstly, manufacturers must be registered with the stiftung ear, and secondly, manufacturers must participate in an OfH. Foreign obligated parties require an authorized representative. Interzero supports you with all these obligations with suitable one-stop solutions.
Contact us now!
We are one of the leading full-service environmental service providers and have been developing tailored solutions for our customers for over 30 years.
Feel free to contact us via email at sales.epr@interzero.de or by phone at +49 2203 9147-1605!
Who supervises the OfH?
The BattDG regulates that the stiftung ear plays a central role: It approves OfHs and monitors whether OfHs fulfill their obligations
Additionally, the environmental protection agency (Umweltbundesamt) monitors compliance with quantity and reporting obligations.
In summary: OfH is the central collection and disposal organization in the new BattDG system. Without it, batteries can no longer be legally sold in Germany from 2026 onwards.