The battery market - France (2023)

1.2 The global market

As mentioned above, the global battery market has relatively high growth potential:

Sales trends in the battery market World, **** - **** Source: ****

The global battery market is expected to grow steadily from **** to **** (***). Sales in the sector are expected to reach $**.** billion in ****.

1.3 The French market: volatile

Battery production trend France, **** - ****, volume index base *** in **** Source: ****

French battery production is fairly volatile. Well below its **** level, production fluctuated upwards and then downwards between **** and ****. From ****, a period of growth began, but was interrupted by the pandemic. Between **** and ****, production increased again, growing by **%.

Sales index for battery manufacturers France, **** - ****, index base *** in **** Source: ****

Sales of batteries in France rose sharply in **** (***). The product of crosses gives sales of batteries and accumulators equal to: *,***,*** * ***.** / *** = *,***,***.*.

Thus, sales of batteries and accumulators in **** in France were *.** billion euros.

Battery market size

The French battery market was estimated at *** million euros in ****, in both food and non-food circuits. *** million batteries were sold that year. [***]

In the first half of ****, sales totaled *** million euros. ***.* million batteries were sold over this period. [***]

1.4 Foreign trade

France's battery trade with other countries can be studied using NAF code **.** :

Exports of batteries and accumulators France, **** - ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Main battery-receiving countries France, ****, in thousands of euros Source: ****

Exports have been rising steadily since ****, posting an increase of over ** points compared to ****, to reach *,***.* million euros . Theleading export partner by far is Germany, with a figure of ***.* million euros. The USA and China complete the podium, with exports worth ***.* and **.* million euros respectively. Apart from the USA, France trades a large proportion of its batteries with neighboring European countries.

Imports of batteries and accumulators France, **** - ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Main suppliers of batteries and accumulators France, ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Imports have also risen steadily over the past seven years. The trade balance in batteries and accumulators is structurally in deficit. The coverage rate was *.** in **** . Imports rose sharply in **** to ****.* million euros, with imports tending to grow faster than exports, driving down the coverage rate.

France's leading supplier of batteries and accumulators is China, with the equivalent of **** million euros of imports from this country. Poland is second with *** million euros and Germany third with *** million euros. Japan is also a major ...

2.1 Demand varies depending on the type of battery

There is a wide variety of batteries on the market. To better understand the subtleties of each type of battery, we need to distinguish its specific requirements.

Quantities of batteries sold by type France, ****, in millions of units Source: ****

Despite the diversity of batteries available on the market today, alkaline batteries remain the most popular. Almost a billion (***) alkaline batteries were put on sale on the market in ****.

This hegemony will continue in ****, as the following graph shows:

Weight by volume of different battery categories France, **** (***), in % Source: ****

Note that buttons are gaining share in volume (***).

The superiority of alkaline batteries is also reflected in their share of sales:

Breakdown of battery sales France, ****, in Source: ****

The alkaline segment will account for almost three-quarters of battery sales (***).

In addition, the number of battery purchases per year was *, and the number of batteries purchased per purchase was ** in ****. [***]

2.2 Battery demand: a function of housing type

The number of batteries varies according to the type of dwelling (***). Logically, more batteries are found in homes. This type of dwelling is generally larger, with more rooms, and therefore more equipment and batteries.

Breakdown of cells and batteries in residential households France, ****, in units Source: ****

Breakdown of batteries in an apartment household France, ****, in units Source: ****

The rooms with the most batteries are generally the living/dining room, the kitchen and the parents' bedroom. Used batteries are more likely to be found in the rooms with the most foot traffic (***).

Average number of batteries by dwelling France, ****, in units Source: ****

As explained above, houses contain the most batteries. In addition, second homes contain on average more batteries than apartments (***).

2.3 An essential element of demand: recycling

Pollution is a major problem with battery use. Recycling is therefore a key factor in satisfying a demand that is increasingly concerned about environmental issues. Concerned about these issues, or simply about their brand image, many companies join an eco-organization for the collection and recycling of batteries and accumulators (***).

Trend in volume collected by Corepile France, **** - ****, in tonnes Source: ****

Symptomatic of the growing importance of battery-related environmental issues, the volume of used batteries collected annually continues to rise. Since ****, this volume has increased by *,*** tonnes to reach **,*** tonnes in ****.

The breakdown of collection by region is described below:

Source: ****

The regions with the most successful collections are Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Île-de-France, with *,***, *,*** and *,*** tonnes of batteries collected in **** respectively. Battery collection is fairly uniform across France. However, these scores need to be set against the population density of each region. Indeed, in terms of grams per inhabitant, Ile-de-France's collection is one of the lowest. Only four regions in mainland France collect less than *** grams per inhabitant: Île-de-France, Occitanie, Provence-Alpes Côte d'Azur and Corsica.

2.4 France's favourite battery brands

To gain a better understanding of demand, it may be useful to look at the battery brands preferred by the French.

"Which of these battery brands do you like?" France, ****, in % Source: ****

Duracell is the most popular of the three brands surveyed. It appealed to **.*% of respondents. It is also the best-known brand, with *.*% of respondents saying they were not familiar with it. varta, on the other hand, is the least well-known of the brands mentioned: **.*% of respondents said they knew little or nothing about it. Finally, Energizer is the least appreciated brand, with *.*% of respondents saying they disliked it.

In addition, the image that these brands project to their users is very important, particularly with regard to the environmental impact of batteries. The following graph shows consumers' opinions of these brands.

"How would you describe these battery brands?" France, ****, in % Source: ****

Generally speaking, these brands are considered useful by half of those surveyed. On the other hand, they benefit very little from a committed brand image, with only **% of respondents on average qualifying them as such (***).

Finally, it appears that battery brands appeal more to older people than to young adults:

Share of respondents who say they like ...

2.5 Consumer profiles on battery recycling

The COREPILE eco-organization distinguishes five sociotypes in the attitudes observed among battery consumers:

The committed assiduous: they recycle all or almost all batteries, are more knowledgeable about the recycling process and organizations, and are more committed to the environment (***). The conscientious: they recycle all or almost all batteries, but are less aware of civic gestures and are more likely to forget about battery recycling (***). The pragmatic: they recycle some of their used batteries, but tend to forget (***). The reserved: they recycle little, are less knowledgeable about the system, less involved, with a certain mistrust of recycling organizations (***). The indifferent : they recycle little, are neutral in their perception of recycling, less aware of recycling organizations and civic gestures (***).

The distribution of these sociotypes in the population is as follows:

Breakdown of battery recycling sociotypes France, ****, in Source: ****

The committed assiduous represent the majority of respondents (***). These figures are rather encouraging for the future of the battery sector, which will certainly depend greatly on consumer behavior and their willingness to recycle.

3.1 Battery market value chain

Source: ****

3.2 Number of establishments and employees

Number of establishments manufacturing batteries and accumulators France, **** - ****, in units Source: ****

The graph shows an increase in the number of establishments over the last decade. In ****, the number of establishments was **. This number remained stable until ****, but then began to rise gradually. In ****, the number of establishments reached **, an increase of around *.*% on ****. After ****, growth accelerated. In ****, the number of establishments rose to **, then to ** in ****, an increase of around *.*% on ****. Growth continued at a more pronounced pace between **** and ****, with the number of establishments reaching **, an increase of **.*% on ****. By ****, the number of establishments has risen further to **, an increase of *.*% on ****.

In conclusion, over the ten-year period from **** to ****, the number of establishments increased by **.*%, from ** to **. This upward trend suggests a favorable environment for the creation and development of establishments over the period analyzed .

Number of employees in the battery manufacturing sector France, **** - ****, in units Source: ****

Analysis of available data shows a general upward trend in headcount over the period **** to ****. In ****, the workforce stood at *,***. However, a slight decline was observed in **** and ****, when headcount fell to ****. from **** onwards, steady growth was recorded, with the exception of ****, when a slight decline was noted. This decline ...

3.3 A few major players dominate the market

As with manufacturing, the distribution segment is fairly dense, with a few major players holding the majority of market share. But one player's dominance is often focused on a specific type of battery, rather than the market as a whole.

Alkaline battery market share by value France, ****, in Source: ****

In the first half of ****, Energizer dominated the battery market with a **.*% share. Duracell held **.*% of market share, up *.*% on ****. Standard private labels held a **.*% share, making them the third biggest market player.

Specialty batteries market share by value France, ****, in Source: ****

In terms of volume, the hierarchy is shaken up: standard private labels take first place with **.*% of market share. Energizer falls to second place, with **.*% share, and Duracell to third, with **.*% share.

It's also important to bear in mind that the vast majority of battery sales are generated by alkaline batteries, as we saw in Part * (***).

3.4 Battery recycling eco-organizations

There are currently two eco-organizations responsible for collecting and recycling batteries: Corepile and Screlec. The growing number of members of these two organizations bears witness to the growing environmental concerns of companies involved in the battery sector.

Growth in Corepile membership France, **** - ****, in units Source: ****

In just four years, *** new entities have joined Corepile. Below is a breakdown of Corepile members' contributions by sector:

Breakdown of Corepile member contributions France, ****, in Source: Corepile *Jewellers, electronic cigarettes, surveillance alarms, watches, incorporators, manufacturers of products containing batteries or accumulators

Distributors are the main contributors with **.*%. They are followed by manufacturers, who contribute **.*%. Electronics companies complete the podium with **.*%. However, the number of members belonging to these categories is not the highest:

Breakdown of Corepile members by sector France, ****, in units Source: ****

With only ** and ** out of **** members respectively, manufacturers and distributors account for over **% of Corepile's contributions.

Collection is organized through a diversified network of collection points:

Breakdown of collection points by major network France, ****, in Source: ****

4.1 Types of batteries on the market

It's possible to distinguish between different types of battery, depending on how they are used (***).

The following table lists many of these different battery characteristics:

Source: ****

4.2 Price trends

Price index for batteries and accumulators France, **** - ****, index base *** in **** Source: ****

The price of batteries and accumulators has not been spared inflation. After stagnating for three years, prices began to rise in ****. However, this increase remains very limited, and relatively low compared to general inflation. In the first half of ****, prices were almost *.*% higher than in ****, which is an almost derisory increase in * years (***).

However, it is difficult to study price trends in the battery market, as there is a huge variety of batteries available. The following table lists the prices of a range of batteries of five different brands, to give an idea of the prices charged:

Source: ****

4.3 Supply trends: rechargeable batteries

Faced with the environmental challenges of recycling conventional batteries, rechargeable batteries are an attractive alternative for a number of reasons[***]:

Energy efficiency: rechargeable batteries provide reliable energy, covering around ** to **% of the needs usually met by disposable alkaline batteries, the most commonly used. What's more, they last longer in wireless devices. Positive environmental impact: using rechargeable batteries significantly reduces waste, replacing up to *,*** disposable alkaline batteries and avoiding the release of ** kilograms of heavy metals during recycling. What's more, they are made from **% recycled materials and are over **% recyclable. long-term savings: although the initial cost of rechargeable batteries is slightly higher than that of disposable alkaline batteries, their durability means substantial long-term savings. Responsible consumption: against a backdrop of growing concern for the environment, rechargeable batteries offer a more planet-friendly solution.

However, rechargeable batteries face a number of challenges and obstacles to their development. Despite their many advantages, rechargeable batteries remain under-utilized, accounting for just **-**% of the French portable energy market. Manufacturers are still integrating too few of these batteries into their products, and their visibility in stores remains low. Consumers lack clear information on their advantages, and negative perceptions persist due to the lower performance of the first ...

5.1 European regulatory framework

The regulations governing the battery sector are very often the same as those governing accumulators, hence the recurrence of this term in the following paragraphs.

European Union Directive ****/**/EC lays down rules for the collection and treatment of waste batteries and accumulators. Here is a breakdown of the main points of this directive[***]:

Definition of batteries and accumulators: This directive defines batteries and accumulators as sources of electrical energy obtained by transforming chemical energy. They may be composed of primary cells (***). It includes all types of batteries and accumulators, regardless of their size, shape, weight, materials or use, with the exception of certain specific cases.

Three categories of batteries:

- Portable PA: These are sealed batteries or accumulators that can be carried in the hand, excluding industrial or automotive batteries.

- Automotive PA: These batteries power starting, lighting or ignition systems in motor vehicles.

- Industrial PA: These are intended for exclusively industrial or professional use, or used in electric vehicles.

Objectives of the directive :

- Collection rate: Member States are required to achieve a collection rate of **% by **** and **% by **** for waste portable batteries and accumulators.

- Recycling efficiency: The directive sets recycling efficiency targets by technology in terms of ...

5.2 French regulatory framework

Decree no. ****-**** of September **, ****, codified in articles R. ***-*** to R. ***-*** of the Environment Code, transposes EU Directive ****/**/EC and provides important clarifications. It was supplemented by decrees n°****-*** of July **, **** and n°****-*** of May *, ****.

This decree extends extended producer responsibility to all batteries and accumulators placed on the national market, including professional batteries and accumulators. It aims to improve the overall monitoring of battery and accumulator management in France. Key points of the decree include[***] :

- Improved collection: The decree aims to improve the separate collection of portable battery and accumulator waste.

- Management of batteries and accumulators: It establishes a framework for the management of automotive and industrial batteries and accumulators.

- National Register of Producers: It creates a National Register of Battery and Accumulator Producers, making registration mandatory for producers and treatment operators.

- Order of August *, ****: This order modifies the requirements for registration and declaration to the National Register of Battery and Accumulator Producers. It defines the actors subject to these requirements and the information required for the declaration.

- Management by ADEME : The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion has delegated the implementation and management of the National Register of Batteries ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Iten
• Panasonic
• Tyva Energie
• Clhynn
• Inocel
• Varta
• BeFC
• Horiba France
• Duracell France
• Maxell France
• Energizer France
• Qérys (Bricodeal -Torro)
• Upergy