In reaction to today’s European Parliament plenary vote, CECED notes some progress to improve the Directive. MEPs have however missed one central issue: the need for the revised legislation to cover all WEEE, and not only the WEEE that producers take care of. Today approximately 2/3 of the WEEE is not handled by producers and falls outside the treatment requirements of the Directive. 

Says Luigi Meli, CECED Director General: “We welcome progress in some areas of the EP report. However some key issues have been missed. If policy makers want to resolve the problems of WEEE then they must ensure that treatment requirements and reporting obligations cover all WEEE, not just the WEEE handled by producers. This loophole of the present WEEE legislation is one of the main reasons why so much WEEE slips through the system today.

“Currently producers receive and treat approximately 1/3 of the WEEE, but 2/3 of the WEEE is collected by other actors who are not covered by the obligations of the current Directive. Producers have no authority over these actors that collect WEEE for economic reasons to make a profit of its value. Neither can enforcement authorities require that these actors treat WEEE in accordance to the WEEE Directive as these actors are not addressed by the Directive. This problem will increase in the future given the growing scarcity of resources and the resulting increase in material prices.

In this context, it is disappointing that amendment 93 (creating conditions for strong enforcement) has not been supported.”

Elsewhere CECED welcomes that:
•    In comparison to the original Commission proposal, the European Parliament has opted for an improved collection target based on the amount of WEEE that generated. MEPs have also confirmed that it is for Member States to achieve this target - not producers.

•    MEPs have supported the positive proposal for financing the improvement of the collection of WEEE from households.

On the reuse of WEEE for which the European Parliament has proposed targets, CECED highlights that it is now essential to create quality criteria for refurbished appliances and the activities of refurbishers to ensure that refurbished products will not jeopardise environmental and consumer protection and do not become an alibi for illegal export of waste.

For further information please contact:

Mr. Luigi Meli, CECED Director General
Tel: +32 (0)2 738 78 10
Email: secretariat@ceced.eu

Mr Tristan Macdonald, Communications Manager
Tel: +32 (0)2 738 78 19
Email: tristan.macdonald@ceced.eu

About CECED: CECED represents the household appliance manufacturing industry in Europe. Its member companies are mainly based in Europe. Direct Members are Arçelik, Ariston Thermo Group, BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH, Candy Group, De’Longhi, Daikin, AB Electrolux, Fagor Group, Gorenje, Liebherr, Indesit Company, Miele, Philips, SEB and Whirlpool Europe. CECED’s member associations cover the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.