Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

Background

The quantity of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), commonly known as e-waste, generated annually in the European Union is rapidly increasing. It is now one of the fastest-growing waste streams. It includes various devices such as mobile phones, computers, televisions, refrigerators, household appliances, lighting fixtures, as well as medical equipment and photovoltaic panels.

E-waste consists of complex mixtures of materials, some of which are hazardous. Improper management of discarded equipment can lead to serious environmental and health issues. Modern electronic products also contain rare and valuable resources, including critical raw materials. If waste is effectively managed, these materials can be recovered and reused.

Improving the collection, treatment, and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment at the end of its life can enhance resource efficiency and support the transition to a circular economy. It also contributes to the security of supply of critical raw materials, ultimately enhancing the EU's strategic autonomy.

Applicable Region

Applicable Regions include all member states of the European Union. Compliance with this directive is required for products exported to these countries. The directive is issued by the European Union, and each member state then enacts regulations based on this directive.

The 27 member states include Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Regulations regarding WEEE

International regulations related to WEEE restrictions:

EU Regulations

WEEE Directive
- The directive mandates the separate collection and proper treatment of discarded electrical and electronic equipment, as well as sets targets for collection, recycling, and recovery.
- Help European countries more effectively combat illegal waste exports, making it harder for exporters to disguise the illegal shipment of WEEE products.
- By requiring standardized national electronic waste registries and reporting formats, it helps alleviate administrative burdens.
The WEEE Directive establishes a total of 10 WEEE categories for reporting purposes.
- Large household appliances
- Small household appliances
- IT and telecommunications equipment
- Consumer equipment and photovoltaic panels
- Lighting equipment
- Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)
- Toys, leisure and sports equipment
- Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products)
- Monitoring and control instruments
- Automatic dispensers

Industry practices

Measures related to the recycling of electronic equipment - Apple, Google, and other major companies responding to the "Right to Repair". More environmentally friendly 3C products - from Fairphone to the EU's "Right to Repair"

Since the introduction of the first-generation iPhone with its non-removable battery design, followed by similar practices by other major manufacturers, self-repairing smartphones has become increasingly difficult. As battery life dwindles or parts malfunction, more and more people opt to replace their phones entirely rather than attempting repairs. This trend has contributed to a significant increase in electronic waste. According to United Nations statistics, global e-waste surged by 21% in just five years, reaching a record-breaking 53.6 million metric tons in 2019, with smartphones constituting a significant portion. Alarmingly, only 17% of electronic waste is recycled.

Don Norman, former Vice President of Advanced Technology at Apple, stated that smartphone manufacturers' misconception of electronic products as fashion items has made them difficult to repair and quickly outdated. However, with the rise of environmental awareness among the public, major tech companies are compelled to address the growing demand for sustainable products by developing more durable, long-lasting, and eco-friendly products. The emergence of the "Right to Repair" movement aims to counteract and even reverse this trend.

The European Parliament further passed a Right to Repair legislation in April 2022, focusing on 3C products such as smartphones and tablets. This legislation demands manufacturers to ensure the durability of batteries, provide essential parts for at least five years, and adopt designs allowing for sustainable upgrades within three years, making it easier for consumers to access repair services and parts.
The Biden administration in 2021 instructed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enact measures aimed at preventing manufacturers from raising barriers to repair. Responding to this, New York became one of the first states to pass the "Digital Fair Repair Act" at the end of last year, requiring electronic device manufacturers to provide repair manuals and parts to consumers and independent repair shops. This allows consumers to more conveniently and affordably repair faulty smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices, thereby reducing electronic waste generation.

In response to policy pressure, major 3C manufacturers have taken action to comply with the trend of the Right to Repair:

In April 2022, Apple launched its "Self Service Repair Program," allowing individuals to perform repairs on various devices, including the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series, as well as MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac models featuring M1 processors. Apart from providing repair manuals and genuine parts, Apple also offers rental of specialized repair tools.
Google has partnered with the repair website iFixit. Consumers can purchase various components such as batteries, screens, and lenses for Pixel 2 to Pixel 6 Pro from iFixit. They can also buy repair tool kits from iFixit.
Microsoft has chosen to release product teardown videos to support consumer self-repair initiatives. In the design of its products, Microsoft also makes self-repair relatively convenient. Taking the high-end Surface Laptop Studio as an example, components such as the battery, screen, and ports can be replaced without needing to remove the motherboard.
The Dell Concept Luna concept laptop takes modularity a step further by incorporating a modular design with components fixed in place using pins instead of screws, reducing the need for manual installation of screws. This not only lowers the difficulty of repairs but also facilitates easier recycling and modular production.

Understanding WEEE

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the European Union, increasing by 2% annually. Improper handling of WEEE poses serious risks to human health and the environment. Since 2002, the EU has regulated WEEE to prevent and reduce its harmful impact on the environment and human health. In 2012, the European Commission evaluated and revised the WEEE Directive. This directive mandates the separate collection of discarded electronic and electrical equipment and requires member states to establish recycling systems that allow consumers to recycle such waste. Specific responsibilities are assigned to municipal authorities, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. The directive sets ambitious targets not only for the collection of discarded electrical and electronic equipment but also for the preparation for reuse, recycling, and recovery.
In 2019, the average per capita generation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in Europe was 16.2 kilograms, while in the European Union, approximately 10.5 kilograms of WEEE per capita were separately collected in 2020 for appropriate treatment and recycling in accordance with Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, Article 8. Among these separately collected discarded electronic and electrical equipment, the share of small consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and their chargers is particularly low. For example, it has been reported that the collection rate of mobile phones in member states is less than 5%, with an estimated 700 million unused and discarded mobile phones stored in households across the European Union.
The European Commission is currently evaluating a WEEE directive. This assessment aims to determine whether the directive is still fit for purpose, explore possibilities for simplifying the directive, and ascertain whether a review is necessary. To gather evidence from the public and a wide range of stakeholders, the Commission conducted an online public consultation in 2023, supplemented by a study to support this evaluation. The final report of this study will be publicly released in September 2024.