EU WEEE rules for non-EU sellers: producer registration in each country

Who is the producer

The WEEE Directive makes the producer responsible for financing the collection and treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment. A manufacturer or seller outside the EU that sells directly to end users in a Member State by distance communication, such as online, is the producer of that equipment and must register in each Member State where it sells.

When a non-EU company sells to a professional seller established in a Member State, that seller becomes the producer there. A professional who places equipment from a third country or another Member State on the market can be the producer even if it does not sell under its own brand.

Registration and representatives

• Register with the national WEEE register in every Member State where you sell to end users.
• A producer established in another Member State may appoint an authorised representative in the country where it sells; otherwise its buyers there become the responsible producers (Article 17(1)).
• Member States must ensure that distance sellers selling into other Member States appoint an authorised representative there (Article 17(2)).
• Non-EU distance sellers that are not registered directly register through a representative.
• Practical registration questions go to the national registers; the European WEEE Registers Network (EWRN) explains national practices.

Scope and categories

During the transitional period from 13 August 2012 to 14 August 2018, the scope followed the old Directive's ten categories, with photovoltaic panels added at once. Since 15 August 2018, the Directive covers all electrical and electronic equipment, which must fit one of the six categories in Annex III; equipment is out of scope only under the exclusions in Article 2(3) and (4). The Commission's FAQ notes that it is not legally binding and that the Court of Justice has the final say.