Are You Compliant With the New EU WEEE Recast Regulations?

News provided by

Environ UK Ltd

22 May, 2014, 15:41 GMT

BATH, England, May 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

New European Union recycling requirements for companies who sell electrical and electronic equipment in Europe are creating a complicated and changing regulatory landscape across the 28 EU Member States.  ENVIRON is hosting complimentary webinars on 12 June at 9.00am Central European Time and 10.00am US Eastern Time to help companies navigate the new waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) compliance requirements.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130923/642214 )

The EU WEEE Recast Directive 2012/19/EU published 24 July 2012 required EU Member States to implement the new requirements in national WEEE Recast Regulations by 14 February 2014.  If your company sells electrical and electronic equipment in Europe then it probably has new legal obligations under these new regulations in some, or all, of the 28 EU Member States.  The new requirements include:

  • Changes to WEEE product scope
  • New definition of 'producer'
  • New requirements to appoint Authorised Representatives
  • New WEEE collection targets
  • Clearer definitions of application exemptions (e.g. large scale fixed installations)

Each of the 28 EU Member States had already adopted their own interpretations of the original WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC, creating 28 different national WEEE Regulations with differing requirements in each country. The new WEEE Recast Directive requirements are also being implemented differently in each Member States. This is creating an even more complicated and changing regulatory landscape across Europe.  

Companies face considerable resource challenges to understand their legal exposure in each of the 28 EU Member States, manage compliance to registration, recycling and reporting obligations and keep up-to-date with the ever-changing WEEE Regulations in each country. For example, did you know:

  • The WEEE Recast Regulations in Ireland now require all manufacturers who sell products to end-users via a web-store to display their WEEE producer registration number on their company website.
  • The WEEE Recast Regulations in the UK have reduced the compliance obligations for producers placing less than 5 tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment on the UK market in the previous year (known as 'small producers').
  • Under the WEEE Recast Regulations in Portugal, companies who use distributors to import and sell their products in Portugal can appoint an authorised representative to release the distributors from their producer obligations. However, the authorised representative must provide the distributors with a certificate confirming the discharge of their legal obligations.
  • Under the WEEE Recast Regulations in Greece, all companies who sell products from another country directly to the end-user in Greece must appoint an Authorised Representative to register and fulfil WEEE producer obligations.

Join our complimentary webinar on Thursday 12 June to find out more about the WEEE Recast Directive and how ENVIRON can help your company to identify its legal exposure and manage compliance to the national WEEE Recast Regulations in each of the 28 EU Member States.  We can help your company ensure WEEE compliance across Europe at the lowest cost.  We can also pay your registration and recycling fees in each country and send you one invoice a year for the actual costs.

The webinar will be held at 9.00am Central European Time (3.00pm China Time, 4.00pm Japan Time) and also repeated at 4.00pm Central European Time (10.00am US Eastern Time), so that companies in North America can join the second webinar.

Registration for the first webinar at 9.00am Central European Time, 3.00pm China Time, 4.00pm Japan Time is available at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/491774504

Registration for the second webinar at 4.00pm Central European Time, 10.00am US Eastern Time is available at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/249571984

Further information about ENVIRON's managed product compliance services for WEEE, Batteries and Packaging is available at http://www.EC4P.com and http://www.b2bweee.com.

About  ENVIRON 

Leading international consultancy ENVIRON offers environmental, health, safety and sustainability services through an interdisciplinary network of more than 1,500 employees operating from 92 offices in 21 countries worldwide. http://www.environcorp.com.