Service for electronic devices in Europe
Is your business affected by the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EC)?
If you manufacture, sell or import electronic equipment in one of the countries of the European Union or you intend to expand into an EU country, then your business model must comply with the European WEEE Directive (Directive 2012/19/EC, formerly 2002/96/EC) and you are subject to the individual laws that apply in the respective countries concerning trading in and disposing of electrical equipment. In Germany, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) has been in force since March 2005.
28 EU members – 28 different implementations of the WEEE Directive
The WEEE Directive requires you to register all electronic equipment before market launch in the respective country, to apply for a WEEE number, to regularly report the quantity sold and to ensure that the products are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. There is no European-wide registration authority; instead you must register separately for each country and many specific features need to be taken into account. For example, electronic equipment is not always assigned to the same category of equipment in each country. However, the category determines the cost of registration and disposal.
If you are not based in the countries in question and if you do not have a branch office there, you will have to appoint an authorised representative. The authorised representative will represent your company and ensure that it meets its legal obligations. We can offer you a tailor-made compliance solution for the entire European Union, as well as Norway and Switzerland.
weee full-service: European-wide registration, reporting, disposal & authorised representation
We can help you to sell your electronic products quickly and in compliance with the WEEE Directive in the countries of your choice, with the help of an authorised representative. While you focus on your core business, you will be benefiting from our global network and our experience in working together with the individual national authorities. Together with our selected partners, we offer you:
- Consultancy about the legal requirements that apply in each country
- Analyse in which countries you have to register your products and draw up an overview of the costs involved
- Registration with the authorities, national registers and recognised compliance schemes
- Issuing a WEEE number
- Reporting number of products sold
- Disposal of electrical equipment in the end of their life
- Provision of an authorised representative
- Handling all communications with the authorities, as well as partners and authorised representatives
More than 3,500 small and medium enterprises, as well as global players from all over the world, benefit from our experience – join them!
Your advantages:
- A single contact: one-stop shop solution!
- No language barriers.
- Individual consultancy and tailor-made quotes.
- Minimal effort: you report your quantities to us and we take care of the rest.
- No fines: we pass on all the relevant information to the authorities and authorised representatives on time.
Legal background: The European WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU)
The WEEE Directive (2012/19/EC, formerly 2002/96/EC) came into force in Europe on 13th August 2012. The EU member states were obliged to transpose it into national law. The revised version of 2012 replaced the previous Directive 2002/96/EC. The aim of the WEEE Directive is to prevent waste from electrical equipment, or to reduce such waste by reusing and recycling it. For this reason, the overriding goal is to increase the percentage of electrical appliances taken back in the end of their life in order to protect the environment. The law requires manufacturers, distributors or importers of electronic equipment to contribute to the cost of disposing of it (extended producer responsibility or responsibility for taking back and disposing of electrical appliances). For this purpose, each country has set up its own national register schemes. Before they start to sell their products, manufacturers are obliged to register there and apply for a WEEE number. Often, they also have to join a recognised compliance system. Since different countries have implemented the WEEE Directive in different ways, the registration process differs from country to country and companies need to take into account many specific features.