About Stewardship of Lead Batteries in Canada

In response to a variety of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, the Canadian Battery Association (CBA) has operated a formal Stewardship Program in Canada since 2011. The CBA is well positioned to implement a Stewardship Program for lead batteries as we represent the majority of manufacturers, distributors and processors of lead batteries in Canada.

As of January 1, 2022, the CBA’s Stewardship Program will account for approximately 95% of the LAB’s sold in Canada and virtually 100% of the processing.  The remaining 5% of unaccounted sales are sold within a new product – eg boat, motorcycle etc or via the internet. 

Every year, there are approximately 230,000,000 kg of lead batteries (LABs) sold in Canada.  Approximately 85% of the lead batteries are sold to consumers for use in vehicles and commercial trucks.  The remaining 15% are motive batteries such as forklifts and golf carts and stationary batteries for energy storage and power backup.  The motive and stationary batteries are business-to-business commercial transactions.

The members of the CBA provide a reverse-distribution recovery program for consumer (ie automotive) lead batteries and a business-to-business recovery program for commercial lead batteries.  Used consumer and commercial lead batteries will be transported to the distribution warehouses for assessment and the waste lead batteries will be bulk transported to smelters for processing and then the lead and plastic is set for re-manufacturing into a new lead battery.

The following sections outlines the formal Stewardship Program developed by the Canadian Battery Association that is designed to meet a variety of Federal and Provincial regulatory requirements.