Recently, TikTok Shop issued an urgent compliance guideline to platform sellers, focusing on the new EU battery regulation that will be fully implemented on August 18, 2025. This guideline sets clear deadlines and operational paths for sellers of batteries and battery-containing products in the EU market. Those who fail to comply on time will face serious consequences, including product removal and even store bans.

This not only reflects TikTok Shop’s proactive response to regulation, but also highlights the increasingly strict compliance management trends among global e-commerce platforms.

Image source: Internet

I. TikTok Shop Releases Core Compliance Requirements

According to the "EU Battery Regulation Compliance Guide" released by TikTok Shop, its core requirements are clear and urgent:

Applicable subjects: All sellers on the TikTok Shop platform who sell standalone batteries or products containing batteries (such as electronic products, power tools, toys, etc.) to the EU market.

Core obligation: Sellers must complete compliance registration under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for batteries in the relevant EU country/region before August 18, 2025.

Platform action: After registration, sellers must upload a valid EPR registration number through the designated "Compliance Portal" on the TikTok Shop platform.

Severe consequences: For sellers who fail to complete registration and submit a valid EPR registration number before the deadline, TikTok Shop will take mandatory measures, including but not limited to:

Removing related non-compliant products;

Suspending or permanently banning the sales rights of related stores.

TikTok Shop emphasizes that this EPR registration number is the "passport" for products to legally circulate in the EU market. Without it, products lose their basic market access qualification. With only limited time left before the August 18 deadline, sellers need to act immediately, streamline processes, prepare materials, and ensure timely compliance.

Image source: TikTok Shop Learning Center

II. Platforms in Step, EU Enforcement Not to Be Challenged

This move by TikTok Shop is not an isolated incident, but part of a unified response by mainstream e-commerce platforms to EU regulations.

Amazon had already issued almost identical requirements to its EU sellers as early as July 2023: all products sold in the EU with standalone or built-in batteries must complete EPR registration and submit the registration number before August 18, 2025, or face the risk of being delisted.

Image source: Amazon

The consistency of these two e-commerce giants stems from the mandatory nature of EU regulations and its enforcement tradition:

Regulation core: The core of the new EU battery regulation (mainly based on the "Battery Directive" and its amendments) is to strengthen producers' environmental responsibility (EPR), requiring producers to be responsible for the recycling, treatment, and reuse of batteries to reduce environmental pollution.

Strict enforcement: The EU is known for its strict supervision in environmental protection and product safety, adopting a "zero tolerance" attitude towards violations. Once non-compliant products are found, EU regulatory agencies will quickly take mandatory measures such as removal and recall.

Traceability and heavy penalties: Violators not only face losses from product removal, but may also be held retroactively responsible, bear high recycling and treatment costs, and may be subject to huge fines (the amount is usually calculated based on sales and can reach a considerable proportion). Taking chances may result in losses far exceeding the value of the goods.

Therefore, sellers must take TikTok Shop’s guidelines seriously, carefully study the specific requirements, and ensure a clear and accurate understanding of product safety standards, compliance certificates (such as CE certification, etc.), and subsequent market supervision processes to avoid non-compliance due to cognitive bias.

Image source: flash battery

Conclusion: Proactively Embracing Compliance Is the Way to Win

The August 18, 2025 deadline for the new EU battery regulation is a wake-up call for relevant cross-border sellers. The stern notices from platforms such as TikTok Shop and Amazon, as well as the increasing cases of store closures, huge fines, and even criminal penalties worldwide, all clearly send one signal: in the context of deep adjustment in the global trade landscape, compliance is the irreversible cornerstone of cross-border e-commerce.

In the second half of global cross-border e-commerce competition, compliance capability itself is the core competitiveness. Only by proactively embracing the rules and internalizing compliance as a driving force for development can one win market trust and achieve sustainable global operations. The test of the new EU battery regulation is just an important node in this long compliance journey.