WEEE: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), i.e. the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling Directive. In order to properly deal with the huge amount of electrical and electronic waste and to recycle precious resources, the European Union adopted two directives in 2002 that have a significant impact on electrical and electronic equipment products, namely the WEEE (European Union Recycling Directive) and the RoHS Directive (European Union's Environmental Protection Directive).

RoHS: Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances in EEE, i.e. the EU Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2003.

Difference between WEEE Directive and RoHS Directive:

The EU WEEE Directive (EU Directive 2002/96/EC) and the ROHS Directive (EU Directive 2002/95/EC) have been official laws since February 13, 2003 within the EU. According to the WEEE Directive, since August 13, 2005, manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment circulating on the EU market have been legally obliged to pay for the recycling of their own end-of-life products.

According to the ROHS Directive, since July 1, 2006, all electrical and electronic equipment sold on the EU market must ban the use of heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium, as well as the use of anionic flammable agents such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBB). These two pieces of legislation will give China's exports of electrical and electronic products to Europe has a significant impact on the domestic industry should pay great attention to the two upcoming implementation of environmental legislation, and actively take countermeasures to ensure that China's exports of electrical and electronic products to Europe does not cause substantial damage.

    Which countries need WEEE certification

   Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Poland, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Austria, Ireland and so on.

Which products need WEEE certification

The WEEE Directive case applies to the following electrical and electronic products: large domestic appliances, small domestic appliances, information technology and telecommunication equipment, user equipment, lighting equipment, electrical and electronic tools (except for large static industrial tools), toys, leisure and sports equipment, medical devices (except for all implanted and infected products), monitoring and control devices, vending machines. This draft Directive will apply subject to EU law on health requirements for safety and special EU regulations on waste management. Equipment, weapons, munitions of war related to the protection of vital security interests of the EU Member States do not apply to this Directive. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is defined as electronic or electrical equipment that is determined to be waste in accordance with the definition in Article 1(a) of EU Directive 75/442/EEC, including all components, parts and consumables in a product of which the parts are discarded as part of the product.

   How the WEEE Directive is regulated by the EAR

  The EAR finds violations of the law / the German Environmental Protection Association / competitors report complaints directly to the EAR: the following can occur:

 1. Fine: up to 100,000 Euros

 2. confiscation: of all existing profits in Germany

 3. direct prohibition: sale

 4. appointment of a lawyer: and possibility of applying for court proceedings

 In 2016 the German environmental authorities issued a law for e-commerce companies, requiring Amazon to notify offshore e-commerce companies selling on its platform to register for electronic equipment recycling, and before obtaining a WEEE electronic equipment recycling code, Amazon must order the merchant to stop selling.