Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment
WEEE
The term WEEE is EU shorthand for Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. WEEE is the subject of Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament - in daily parlance called the WEEE Directive - which aims to reduce the environmental impacts from WEEE.
It does this by encouraging producers to produce environmentally friendly electrical and electronic products and by setting rules for producers, importers and remote sellers of electrical and electronic equipment into the EU to increase the reuse and recycling of WEEE.
Overall, the WEEE Directive establishes an extended product liability system whereby the producer / importer / remote seller of electrical and electronic equipment becomes responsible for organising and financing the handling of WEEE in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The WEEE Directive is large, wide-ranging, detailed, complex, interconnected and implemented in national regulation in the individual EU member countries. All national regulations contain sanctions for the event of non-compliance. Watch a short animation video here below to gain a brief overview of WEEE regulation.
The scope and range of the WEEE Directive will surprise many. Just a few examples: cables are WEEE if they have connectors, toys are WEEE if they, for instance, just have an LED light in them, and e-bikes are WEEE. Exemptions are few, and mainly relate to electrical and electronic equipment relating to matters of national security. Sanctions are mainly in the form of fines, which can be sizeable, but the WEEE Directive and a number of interconnected other EU regulations are being adjusted, and within the near future the regulation will be strengthened and tightened, also in terms of sanctions.
In our research on the WEEE topic, it has become apparent to us that many producers / importers / remote sellers of electrical and electronic equipment seem unaware of the existence of the WEEE Directive and its national implementations, and therefore have not registered in the various national registries. Not being registered could be risky for a producer / importer / remote seller, currently in the form of fines, but in future potentially also in the form of other sanctions.
From our base in Denmark we offer a highly practical consultancy service directed at producers, importers and remote sellers of electrical and electronic equipment into the Danish market. We can help you navigate the Danish regulations and register in the correct manner, and offer a range of tailored packages to your various levels of need, as well as a subscription service to keep you updated on WEEE developments.
If you are the least in doubt as to whether you may be subject to the WEEE Directive, get hold of our Ole Udsen, via E-mail: Ole.Udsen@renable.eu, phone: +4520340730 or submit a request below, for a brief - and free - initial conversation as to your situation and any way forward.