Each year, millions of electrical and electronic devices reach the end of their life in France. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) sector has been organizing the collection and processing of these products since 2005. This EPR sector currently manages more than six hundred thousand tons of WEEE per year and imposes specific obligations on manufacturers, importers, and distributors.
The Stakeholders of the WEEE EPR and Equipment Categories
Professionals Required to Declare Their Electrical and Electronic Equipment
The WEEE EPR sector represents one of the largest in the French EPR system. Implemented on August 13, 2005, for professional equipment and then extended to household equipment on November 15, 2006, it currently manages more than six hundred thousand tons of WEEE per year. Manufacturers, importers, and distributors who market under their own brand fall within its scope.
The regulation distinguishes eight categories of equipment based on their technical characteristics. Category 1 includes large cold appliances, category 2 large non-cold appliances, and category 3 small household appliances. The remaining equipment categories concern screens, IT equipment, electronic toys, medical devices, and photovoltaic panels.
The Annual Declaration and the Choice of Approved Eco-Organizations
For the period 2022-2027, three approved eco-organizations share the WEEE sector according to equipment categories:
- Ecosystem and Ecologic handle household equipment;
- Soren holds the approval for managing photovoltaic panels.
The coordinating body OCAD3E ensures, as its name suggests, coordination between these structures via the platform called Territeo. The distinction between household and professional equipment is crucial, determining the specific obligations of each producer. Professional WEEE placed on the market after August 13, 2005, falls under the producer’s responsibility.
The Eco-Contribution Calculation System and WEEE Eco-Modulation
The 2026 Scales and New Performance Criteria
The eco-contributions of the WEEE EPR are calculated per unit or per ton depending on the product categories and the household or professional positioning. From January 1, 2026, seven eco-modulation criteria apply to household EEE and four criteria concern professional EEE. These modulations take the form of bonuses granted to virtuous products or penalties applied to environmentally underperforming equipment.
The separability of the battery is a major eco-modulation criterion. Additionally, the incorporation of recycled plastics from EPR sectors also triggers a financial bonus. Conversely, the presence of HFC gases or brominated flame retardants generates penalties. Producers, therefore, have every interest in considering these constraints from the design phase.
Mandatory Display of Eco-Participation
Distributors must visibly and distinctly display the amount of eco-participation from the product price for each household electrical and electronic equipment and lamps, both in physical stores and on online sales sites, as well as on sales invoices.
However, the obligation just mentioned does not concern professional electrical and electronic equipment, although the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol must still appear on all equipment or their packaging, to remind of the prohibition of disposing of these products with mixed municipal waste. The Info-tri symbol is also necessarily present, indicating the specific sorting instructions for each equipment category.
The WEEE Collection and Reuse System
Territorial Coverage and Mandatory Take-Back by Distributors
Distributors of the electrical equipment EPR are obliged to offer free take-back according to the 1-for-1 principle for all WEEE. A consumer purchasing a refrigerator can have their old appliance taken back for free, whether in-store or during delivery. For small WEEE where no dimension exceeds twenty-five centimeters, distributors with a sales area exceeding four hundred square meters must offer a 1-for-0 take-back, meaning without a purchase obligation.
This provision aims to facilitate sorting for consumers who can drop off their small used equipment in any large specialized store even without purchasing a new product. Public waste collection centers provide dedicated bins for different WEEE categories, to optimize flows to treatment centers.
The Repair Fund and Reuse Objectives
Launched on December 15, 2022, a repair fund is annually funded by the eco-organizations of the WEEE recycling sector. This fund aims to finance certified repairers who restore defective equipment. Sixty-two million four hundred thousand euros have been allocated over three years, demonstrating the growth of this system which aims to extend the lifespan of equipment before any end-of-life treatment.
The reuse, reuse, and repair objectives set for eco-organizations are gradually increasing. In 2023, ninety thousand tons of products were reused under the EPR obligations, representing three percent of the waste managed by these sectors. Eco-organizations develop partnerships with social and solidarity economy actors who recover still functional equipment to restore and resell them at solidarity prices. Non-repairable equipment then follows a dismantling process to separate metals, plastics, and electronic components to maximize their material recovery.
You have the opportunity to find on our blog the list of Extended Producer Responsibility schemes.
