The European Recycling Platform (ERP) set up by Braun, Electrolux, HP and Sony has today announced the next step in its development. The four companies involved are undertaking business planning to operate a pan-European compliance scheme for the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. The move follows research and evaluation, which has indicated to the companies that they can realise significant savings, which, eventually, will benefit their consumers.
During the research phase, a team of recycling experts from the four companies has been in contact with some of Europe’s leading recycling firms, as well as undertaking numerous market surveys and extensive benchmarking of the recycling schemes that already exist in the EU today.
Hans Korfmacher of Braun and chairman of the European Recycling Platform explains, “By pooling volumes and procuring recycling services on a European level, we have realised that we have the opportunity to reduce our annual recycling costs by millions of Euros. Naturally, we want to explore this approach further.”
Moreover, consumers will benefit, as will the environment, as the cost savings can be reinvested in improved product design for recycling.
The ERP is currently in discussion with a number of other producers of electrical and electronic goods about joining the compliance scheme for recycling. The ERP also continues to cooperate with other companies on the implementation of the WEEE Directive into national law.
Background to the ERP and the WEEE Directive
The European Recycling Platform was set up in December 2002 by Braun, Electrolux, HP and Sony in response to the introduction of the European Union’s Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The ERP’s mission is to ensure cost effective implementation of the directive, for the benefit of the participating companies and their customers, through innovative waste management strategies and to encourage national implementation of the directive according to a set of core principles, fundamental to the protection of consumers and business, as well as the environment. More information is available at www.erp-recycling.org.
The WEEE Directive is a new legal framework within which producers are obliged to contribute or to organise the disposal, recycling or recovery of the goods they market after September 2005. Producers are also obliged to handle the recycling of a proportion, based on their market share year by year, of the waste from products sold before September 2005.
For more information, please contact:
Claire Gosnell, +44 020 7736-952 666, claire.gosnell@electrolux.co.uk