Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation was first adopted in 2002 to prevent or reduce adverse impacts on the environment and human health in the EU. The Commission has since evaluated and revised the Directive in 2012.

The first legislation on WEEE, Directive 2002/96/EC, was adopted in 2002, and ten years later the revised and reformed WEEE Directive was adopted, with the aim of providing a regulatory framework for collection and recycling that would include ambitious targets and encourage Member States to increase preparedness for reuse, to strengthen the incentive for resource efficiency in Europe.

The 2012 Directive also provided member states with tools to identify illegal waste exports more effectively. In addition, it provided for the harmonization of national registration and reporting requirements. The registers of producers of electrical and electronic equipment in the member states are more integrated, and an implementing regulation establishing a harmonized format has been adopted. And additional implementing regulations on joint actions were adopted to ensure uniform conditions.

WEEE is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the EU and globally. If not treated appropriately, it is dangerous and can have serious consequences for people and the environment. In addition, it contains precious and critical raw materials, the recovery of which is essential to support the circular economy and strengthen the strategic autonomy of the EU. In the years ahead, growing consumption and digitization will present ever-increasing challenges, so it is necessary to assess whether the WEEE Directive is fit for purpose.

The Commission launched an online public consultation on the evaluation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive – WEEE Directive. The consultation lasts until September 22, 2023.

More informations: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee_en

The ongoing evaluation aims to assess how effectively the Directive has been applied and what its effect has been, to assess how it contributes to the general political goals of the European Green Plan and the Circular Economy Action Plan, and to identify gaps in its implementation. Depending on the findings of the evaluation, the Commission could then initiate the revision process of the Directive.

In the context of the evaluation, the Commission will evaluate the reduction of administrative burdens and the level of compliance achieved after the adoption of the implementing acts. In particular, the Commission is seeking feedback on the identification of equipment containing critical raw materials and on existing recycling practices for these materials. The assessment will also take into account international developments, such as the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.

The Directive sets stricter collection and recovery/recycling targets. Separate collection of EE waste from unsorted municipal waste is necessary to ensure its proper processing, but remains a major challenge in most member states. As part of the evaluation, the Commission carried out a compliance promotion initiative to assess good practices and gaps in implementation, among the practices being the separate collection and procedures of WEEE.

The Directive will also be evaluated against the objectives set out in the European Green Plan and the Circular Economy Action Plan and will take into account all other relevant changes in EU environmental and waste policy (e.g. renewable energy policies, batteries, eco-design for sustainable products , restriction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, waste vehicles, waste shipments, critical raw materials).

The safe and environmentally sound management of WEEE requires the involvement of a wide range of actors: producers of electrical and electronic equipment, producer responsibility organizations and extended producer responsibility programs, recyclers, entities involved in reuse and preparation for reuse, national governments, third country authorities that receive WEEE, non-governmental organizations as well as citizens.

Source: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-consults-citizens-and-stakeholders-directive-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-2023-06-16_en

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The exponential growth in demand for batteries will lead to an equal increase in demand for raw materials and the need to minimize their impact on the environment.

In line with the circular ambitions of the European Green Deal, the Battery Regulation is the first piece of European legislation to approach the full life cycle in which procurement, production, use and recycling are incorporated into a single law.

On August 17, 2023, a new legal framework came into force that ensures the collection, reuse and recycling of batteries in Europe. The new Regulation ensures that batteries in the future have a low carbon footprint, use minimally harmful substances, require fewer raw materials from countries outside the European Union, and are largely collected, reused and recycled. All of the above will support the transition to a circular economy, increase the security of supply of raw materials and energy, and improve the strategic autonomy of the EU.

Batteries in the EU will be environmentally friendly.

The Battery Regulation will ensure that batteries placed on the EU’s single market can only contain a limited amount of harmful substances that are nevertheless necessary, while regularly checking for substances of concern. Under due diligence obligations under the new law, companies must identify, prevent and address social and environmental risks associated with the procurement, processing and trade of raw materials (lithium, cobalt, nickel, natural graphite) contained in their batteries.

Batteries are a key technology of the green transition, supporting sustainable mobility and contributing to climate neutrality by 2050.

For this reason, from 2025, the Regulation will introduce declaration requirements, performance classes and maximum carbon footprint limits for electric vehicles, then light means of transport (such as e-bicycles and scooters) and rechargeable industrial batteries. Targets for recycling efficiency, material recovery and recycled content will be introduced gradually. All collected batteries will have to be recycled and achieve a high level of recovery, especially of the critical raw materials cobalt, lithium and nickel. In this way, valuable materials will be recovered at the end of their useful lives and returned to the economy, with stricter efficiency targets.

Battery replacement – anyone could do it themselves.

From 2027, consumers will be able to remove and replace the removable batteries in their electronic products at any point in their life cycle, which will extend the product’s life before final disposal, encourage reuse and contribute to waste reduction.

Until now, it was necessary to visit a specialized store or shop to change the battery in a laptop or mobile device. The European Parliament aims to change that. Batteries in such and similar devices will be able to be changed by private persons themselves, that is, they will have to be able to do so. Of course, there will be exceptions, such as devices used in wet environments, and for safety reasons, devices with the possibility of malfunctioning after independent battery replacement, as well as professional medical devices, will be excluded from the rule.

When making a decision about which battery to buy, consumers will be helped by key information on the label.

Also, the QR code will give them access to a digital passport that will contain detailed information about each battery. The above will represent a very important link in the value chain in efforts to make it easier for both consumers and experts to contribute to the realization of a circular economy for batteries.

What is expected in the next steps is the implementation of the law in the Member States and the preparation of secondary legislation (through implementing and delegated acts) containing more detailed rules.

Source: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/new-law-more-sustainable-circular-and-safe-batteries-enters-force-2023-08-17_en

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