Following the launch of the first pan-European RecyclingPlatform (ERP) at the end of 2002, the four founding members,Braun, Electrolux, HP and Sony Europe, are today announcing theirrecommendations for the implementation of the WEEE Directive intonational legislation. The objectives of these 'Principles for theImplementation of the EU Waste Electrical and ElectronicEquipment Directive' are to ensure national legislation remainsconsistent with the EU directive and to secure economies of scaleand operational efficiency. The ERP has also established anoperational task force to handle issues relating to procurement,take-back and recycling schemes.
"We wish to ensure that take-back services and wastecollection become as efficient as possible in the interests ofconsumers, the environment and industry," says Hans Korfmacher ofBraun, the chairman of the platform. "Our Principles thereforeencourage competitive solutions to the recycling of WEEE and thebest use of innovative technologies and existing nfrastructures."
The WEEE Directive will require producers of electronicproducts to finance the take-back, treatment and recycling oftheir products from consumers at end-of-life, from August 2005.The ERP's Principles of Implementation cover the aspects that aremost relevant to secure optimisation, consistency and costefficiency. The main pillars are:
- To implement the principle of individual producerresponsibility, established by the WEEE Directive.
- To establish National Registers that record companiesplacing products on the EU market and their levels ofresponsibility.
- To develop guidelines on financing for future waste.
- The creation of a common logistics interface to ensure thatcompetitive take-back schemes can operate.Background to the ERP and the WEEE Directive
The European Recycling Platform was set up in December 2002by Braun, Electrolux, HP and Sony in response to the introductionof the European Union's Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment(WEEE) Directive. The ERP's mission is to ensure cost effectiveimplementation of the directive, for the benefit of theparticipating companies and their customers, through innovativewaste management strategies and to encourage nationalimplementation of the directive according to a set of coreprinciples, fundamental to the protection of consumers andbusiness, as well as the environment.
The WEEE Directive is a new legal framework within whichproducers are obliged to contribute or to organise the disposal,recycling or recovery of the goods they market after September2005. Producers are also obliged to handle the recycling of aproportion, based on their market share year by year, of thewaste from products sold before September 2005.About Braun
Germany-based Braun GmbH, a subsidiary of The GilletteCompany, manufactures a wide variety of products that marryinnovation, quality and aesthetic design, ranging from electricalshavers to personal diagnostic appliances and from oral careproducts and beauty products to household appliances. Braunproducts enjoy worldwide distribution and many of them enjoyworldwide market leadership. More information is available athttp://www.braun.comAbout Electrolux
The Electrolux Group is the world's largest producer ofpowered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use, such asrefrigerators, washing machines, cookers, vacuum cleaners,chainsaws, lawn mowers and garden tractors. Every year, customersin more than 150 countries buy more than 55 million ElectroluxGroup products for both consumer and professional use sold underfamous brands such as AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi, Frigidaire,Eureka and Husqvarna. In 2002, Electrolux had sales of SEK 133.2billion and 87,000 employees. More information is available athttp://www.electrolux.com.About HP
HP delivers vital technology for business and life. Thecompany's solutions span IT infrastructure, personal computingand access devices, global services and imaging and printing forconsumers, enterprises and small and medium business. For thelast four quarters, HP revenue totaled US$70.4 billion. Moreinformation about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.About Sony Europe
Sony manufactures audio, video, communications andinformation technology products for the global consumer andprofessional markets. With its music, pictures, game and onlinebusinesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to become a leadingpersonal broadband entertainment company in the 21st century. InEurope, Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 13.88billion (yen 1,666 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31,2003, based on an average market exchange rate for the sameperiod of yen 120 to the EUR. Sony Europe, headquartered at theSony Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsible for thecompany's European electronics business and registeredconsolidated sales of EUR 8.62 billion for the fiscal year endedMarch 31, 2003. For more information, please visithttp://www.sony-europe.comPrinciples for Implementation of the EU WEEE Directive intoNational Legislation
- Scope: Legislation should encompass all producers andimporters, including actors importing through distance selling.
- Any manufacturer, or importer to the EU, placing electricalor electronic products on the EU market should be considered a'producer' and fall under the legislation and the terms ofproducer responsibility.
- National Clearinghouses: Effective implementation of theDirective is dependent on a sound system of National Registersfor monitoring the sales of new products and collected waste.National Clearinghouses, operated by industry under a Governmentmandate, should run the National Registers and provide the commonlogistical interface between the public collection centres forWEEE and industry. WEEE management contracts should be madebetween producers and service providers directly, theClearinghouses should not be involved in the purchasing ofrecycling services, nor operate recycling systems.
- Historical waste: Each producer's responsibility for therecycling of historical waste (products sold before 13 August2005) should be determined annually and be based on the marketshares of the producers during that year. The obligation shouldbe related to the volume or weight of waste electric andelectronic equipment.
- Producers should have the option to make the cost ofrecycling historic waste visible separately to the consumer whenselling similar new products, however, producers must never beforced to make the recycling cost visible. Any fee collectedshould be handled by the producer and used to finance therequired take-back and recycling services for historical waste.
- Future waste: A producer should only be legallyresponsible for the recycling and associated costs of its ownproducts sold in the future (after 13 August 2005).
- All products must carry producer identification.Preferably, a EU product/producer identification should beestablished.
- As specified by the WEEE Directive, provisions forfinancing the recycling of products should be made by theproducer at the time the new product is placed on the market. TheWEEE Directive requires financial guarantees to secure the futurerecycling of products. The objective of the guarantees is toensure that cost for recycling products from actors thatdisappear will not fall on other producers or on society.National legislation needs to require that such guarantees are inplace once a product is sold. Producers should be allowed toselect the most suitable instrument for the financial guarantee,as long as it fulfils the objectives.
- National Registers should include notification of theguarantee provided by each company, and its financialaccreditation.
- Business to business waste: Producers and professionalusers of electronic equipment should be allowed to continue withindividual contractual arrangements for the financial andphysical take-back of equipment used by businesses.
- A clear definition of which products fall under business tobusiness (non-household) WEEE should be established withinnational legislation to ensure clarity of responsibility
- Recycling infrastructure: Companies should be allowed topurchase recycling services individually, or to team up withother producers, to comply with their obligations.
- National or regional limitation of shipping and treatmentof collected waste should be avoided. This is essential to ensurecomprehensive take-back operations and to ensure that a Europeanmarket in recycling is established.
- Collection and Take-Back Requirements: Producers should beresponsible for the handling of WEEE after the waste has arrivedat collection points.
- Producers should not be made responsible, or be required topay, for the household collection of WEEE.
- A common co-ordination function for the logisticsinfrastructure is needed. This co-ordination function could berun by industry, acting as a common 'logistic interface' betweenpublic collection points and individual or collective recyclingsystems. This function should be integrated into the NationalClearinghouses and needs to be applicable to all producers andimporters.
- The organisation operating the logistics interface andNational Registers should not handle the financing of recycling.Nor should they build up financial surpluses resulting fromcharges for these services beyond what is strictly necessary foroperating cash flow.
- National law should not specify the method of collection.Specific logistics arrangements should be agreed between partiesaccording to regional conditions.For more information about this document or the EuropeanRecycling Platform, please contact:Claire Gosnellclaire.gosnell@electrolux.co.uk+44 7736952 666orHans KorfmacherHans_Korfmacher@Gillette.com+32 478 276 684
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