The EU WEEE Directive has been the precursor to a raft of similar initiatives worldwide from China to California, from Japan to Korea. Even within the EU, the requirements of individual member states vary considerably. ERA can help you to understand the requirements of WEEE in each EU State and the related legislation elsewhere throughout the world and determine what your obligations are and how to respond.
WEEE in the EU
The Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC) makes producers financially responsible for the end-of-life costs of their products including collection, treatment and recycling or reuse. There are other requirements such as the provision of information. The provisions and status of national legislation differ from one EU Member State to another as do the requirements for registration, interpretation of scope, financing and reporting. In general, producers often need to join a compliance scheme but there are many to chose from and they vary in terms of geographical coverage, products and business sectors addressed.
WEEE worldwide
Outside the EU regulations are developing fast in many countries including many US and Canadian States, Japan, China and Korea. In all cases scope and requirements differ. In many cases end-of-life requirements are mixed with, and sometimes are introduced as part of, other environmental imperatives such as restriction of hazardous substances, eco-design, packaging and vehicle disposal. Examples include the China RoHS labelling requirement which is a precursor to China WEEE, and the J-Moss label which provides information on product content at end-of life.
How can ERA help?
ERA has been supporting industry worldwide on practical approaches to WEEE compliance for many years. ERA can help in the following ways:
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direct consultancy on specific issues, for example: |
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definition of WEEE/end-of-life requirements for the world markets in which you sell |
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are your products in scope (ERA can provide a formally reasoned opinion as part of your due diligence) |
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provide advice on what actions need to be taken in each EU Member State to comply with the national WEEE legislation and how to minimise costs |
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who is legally obligated (e.g. you or your distributor) |
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what timescales apply |
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what markings are required |
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what information is required (e.g. material composition) |
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what compliance schemes exist |
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do I need to register and with whom |
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interpretation of these requirements for your business |
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environmental audit of processes (regulations, restriction on substance use, emission of wastes etc.) |
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information |
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ERA’s bimonthly newsletter RE4view covering all environmental regulation worldwide pertaining to the electrical products sector |
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training |
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public training courses |
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bespoke in-house training courses |
All of these can be carried out on an individual or call off contract basis or through our subscriber scheme, AccessERA.
ERA’s credentials
ERA’s reliability and failure analysis group (RFA) has been helping industry understand and respond to the WEEE Directive since its inception. ERA has also run annual conferences on WEEE, RoHS and other environmental aspects for over 10 years and spoken internationally. ERA is conversant with electrical product composition, design and production, the supply chain and end-life mechanical and chemical recycling processes. Given the close linkage with the RoHS Directive and the frequently overlapping requirements seen in other jurisdiction, ERA is well placed to advise on compliance requirements.
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Environmental Compliance 
