The historical role of the 2021 second-life measures
A milestone in product quality, testing and traceability responsibilities.
- Document / event
- Joint Ministry Document No. 114 (2021)
- Issuing / organising body
- MIIT and four other authorities
- Issued / published
- 2021-08-19 / 2021-08-27
- Nature and status
- Historical document; repealed on 2026-04-01
The former scope
The measures applied to domestic second-life businesses and related market participants. Businesses were responsible for product quality, end-of-life collection and environmentally sound disposal; manufacturers were encouraged to design for subsequent use. The document specifically addressed testing, classification, splitting, regrouping, coding and product collection.
Evaluate packs and modules before separating cells
Where technically safe, the measures encouraged pack- or module-level use and compliant dismantling. Project planning should therefore identify incoming condition, structure and history before choosing the testing level and depth of disassembly. A single dismantling route is not suitable for every retired battery.
Shared data and residual-energy testing
The document encouraged sharing factory specifications, charging rates and monitored voltage, temperature and state of charge. Residual-energy and other measured data supported remaining-value assessment. Open-circuit voltage, appearance or rated capacity alone cannot establish suitability for further use.
Quality systems and inspection responsibility
Businesses needed quality-management systems, necessary inspection equipment and quality-system certification, and were responsible for warranty and after-sales service. Designs had to consider insulation, flame resistance, thermal management and battery management, with performance and safety verified for the intended application.
Identification and traceability
Products required coding while retaining original battery codes, together with capacity, voltage, manufacturer, origin and traceability information. Accompanying documents addressed protection, monitoring, maintenance and end-of-life collection. Physical regrouping was only part of the process: identity, quality and lifecycle management also mattered.
Voluntary certification and end-of-life collection
The measures proposed voluntary product certification and collection networks proportionate to sales, with unsuitable batteries transferred to material recyclers. The 2023 stationary-product certification rules emerged from this framework.
Status after 2026
Order No. 73 repealed these measures and no longer uses the second-life category. Announcement No. 20 of 2026 also repealed the corresponding provisions in the 2024 industry conditions. Current products must be assessed against actual end use, mandatory standards, quality requirements and prohibited applications; the 2021 measures are no longer a current compliance basis.
Sources
- Historical documentJoint ministry document No. 114 of 2021
- Current rulesSix-ministry Order No. 73: interim management measures
- Current rulesMIIT Announcement No. 20 of 2026