Button battery safety investigation

The national strategy and its evaluation

From July 2016, the ACCC led a 2-year national strategy for improving the safety of button battery consumer products.

We worked with other Australian Consumer Law regulators to improve the safety of consumer products containing button batteries.

The national strategy began with the release of a voluntary industry code for consumer goods that contain button batteries. This was developed by industry and published in 2016.

In early 2019, we conducted an evaluation of the evidence collected while the national strategy was operating. This included results of market surveillance activities and data from poisons information centres and injury surveillance units.

The key findings of the evaluation were that:

awareness-raising activities and supplier self-regulation was not meaningfully reducing the risk of injury and death to children from exposure to button batteries
regulatory action should be considered to address the hazard of button batteries.

The investigation process

1. Taskforce established

In July 2019, the ACCC established a taskforce to:

conduct an investigation into button battery safety
consider the options available under the Australian Consumer Law for reducing the risk of death and injury to young children.

Use of the term 'button batteries'

For the purposes of our investigation, button cell batteries and coin cell batteries are each referred to as ‘button batteries’.

In the battery industry, the term ‘coin’ is associated with lithium batteries and the term ‘button’ is associated with non-lithium batteries.

2. Issues paper released

On 16 August 2019, we released a button battery safety issues paper for comment.

The issues paper invited responses from interested stakeholders on button battery safety, the perceived safety risks, the effectiveness of the voluntary industry code, consumer information and the button battery market in Australia.

The consultation closed in September 2019. The ACCC received 29 submissions in response to the issues paper.

See public submissions to the button battery safety issues paper.

Button battery safety - Issues paper ( PDF 1.72 MB )

3. Consultation paper released

On 19 March 2020, the ACCC released the Button battery safety – ACCC assessment of regulatory options – consultation paper for comment.

The consultation paper outlined proposed mandatory requirements for button batteries and consumer goods that use them.

Button battery safety – Assessment of regulatory options consultation paper ( PDF 1.51 MB )

The consultation closed on 30 April 2020. The ACCC received 67 submissions in response to the consultation paper. These submissions informed the ACCC’s development of a final recommendation in 2020.

See public submissions to the button battery safety consultation paper.

4. World Trade Organization notified

In September 2020, the ACCC notified the World Trade Organization, under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, of the draft safety and information standards.

One member nation provided comments on the notification. Comments were also received from 7 industry stakeholders.

World Trade Organization notification ( PDF 204.63 KB )

Submissions in response to the World Trade Organization notification ( PDF 2.08 MB )

5. Mandatory safety standards announced

In December 2020, the ACCC recommended to the Assistant Treasurer that mandatory safety and information standards be made under the Australian Consumer Law.

An addendum report was subsequently provided to the Assistant Treasurer on the World Trade Organization notification process, which was underway when the final recommendation was developed.

In December 2020, the Assistant Treasurer announced the introduction of four new button battery related mandatory safety and information standards.

See ACCC welcomes safety and information standards for button batteries.

The 4 new mandatory standards under the Australian Consumer Law are:

Button battery safety - Final recommendation to the Minister - November 2020 ( PDF 6.66 MB )

Button battery safety - Final recommendation with addendum - December 2020 ( PDF 320.75 KB )