WEEE Open Scope: Overview of national implementation and practical challenges

The “open scope” of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive has been in force for over a year. Landbell Group took the opportunity of the first anniversary to examine how the directive has been implemented in the individual member states and what new challenges it poses, especially for producers. Sabrina Zanin, Global Key Account Manager at Landbell Group, presented the key findings of the survey at the recent E-Waste World Conference in Frankfurt.

The national implementations of the European requirements differ mainly with regard to the respective date of entry into force and the subcategories, which can be defined in addition to the six main categories. There are deviations in Bulgaria, Hungary, Norway, Poland and Slovenia, among others, where the new scope of application has been in force since 1 January 2018 instead of 1 August 2018. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, only implemented the requirements at the beginning of this year.

For manufacturers, “open scope” brings some changes, for example, in reporting. Some of a manufacturer's products, which were previously exempt, may now be considered “in scope”. All manufacturers, especially those who have not yet dealt with the requirements, should carefully examine whether any of their products are affected by the new scope.