WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management.
The WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU establishes producer responsibility obligations for the collection, treatment and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment. IgeraIndustria answers every WEEE compliance question: producer registration, collection targets, SIG obligations, B2B WEEE management, and the crossed-out bin marking requirement. Your compliance team finds the answer in seconds.
WEEE 2012/19/EU: producer responsibility and collection targets for EEE manufacturers
Extended producer responsibility for electrical and electronic equipment is mandatory across the EU. Yet many manufacturers do not know whether they qualify as a WEEE producer, which SIG to join, or what reporting obligations apply when selling cross-border into other Member States.
85%
collection rate target from 2019 — Member States must collect 85% of WEEE generated on their territory or 65% of average EEE placed on market in prior 3 years.
4 kg
per inhabitant per year — the minimum WEEE collection rate applied in earlier years of the directive, now superseded by the 65%/85% targets.
SIG
registration mandatory — all producers must register in the national WEEE producer register (SIGRAEEE in Spain) and join a collective scheme or operate individually.
Compliance teams spend hours identifying whether their company meets the WEEE definition of producer, which product categories apply, and what reporting data must be submitted to SIGRAEEE each year. IgeraIndustria answers those questions in seconds, citing the exact WEEE article, so the compliance team can focus on meeting collection targets and maintaining registration.
Instant WEEE compliance query by requirement
IgeraIndustria locates the exact WEEE requirement that applies to each question and responds with the applicable producer obligation, collection target, recovery rate and documented reporting requirement.
Producer definition and registration
WEEE Art. 3 defines producer as any person manufacturing EEE under their own brand, reselling under their own brand, or importing/exporting professionally. IgeraIndustria identifies whether your company qualifies and which national register applies.
SIG collective scheme obligations
Most producers join a collective scheme (SIG) to fulfil their WEEE obligations collectively. IgeraIndustria explains what the SIG finances, what the producer must report, and how compliance certificates are issued.
WEEE product category classification
WEEE Annex III defines 10 categories (large household appliances, IT equipment, consumer equipment, etc.). Correct classification determines the applicable recovery and recycling rates. IgeraIndustria identifies the category for your product.
Cross-border producer registration
Manufacturers selling EEE directly to consumers in other EU Member States must register as producers in each country. IgeraIndustria clarifies the registration requirements for each target market and the role of authorised representatives.
Crossed-out wheeled bin marking
WEEE Art. 14 requires the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol on all EEE. IgeraIndustria specifies the minimum size requirements, placement rules, and when the date marking below the symbol is required for historical waste determination.
B2B WEEE management
For professional users, producers and business customers may agree alternative collection arrangements. IgeraIndustria explains the conditions under which B2B agreements are valid and what minimum performance levels must be maintained.
Complete WEEE 2012/19/EU compliance support
From producer registration to annual reporting and B2B WEEE agreements, IgeraIndustria supports the compliance team at every stage of WEEE producer responsibility management.
Annual WEEE reporting to SIGRAEEE
Producers in Spain must annually report to SIGRAEEE the weight of EEE placed on market by category and the weight of WEEE collected and recycled. IgeraIndustria clarifies what data must be reported, deadlines, and what supporting documentation is required.
Historical vs new WEEE cost allocation
WEEE Directive distinguishes between waste from EEE placed on market before 13 August 2005 (historical) and after (new). Cost responsibility differs: new WEEE is financed by the current producer, historical WEEE by producers collectively. IgeraIndustria explains how to calculate your share.
Distributor take-back obligations
Distributors with a sales area over 400m2 must accept WEEE free of charge on a one-for-one basis when selling new EEE. Distributors must also accept small WEEE without purchase. IgeraIndustria clarifies which obligations apply to your distribution network.
Treatment and recycling standards
WEEE must be treated using Best Available Techniques (BAT). Annex VII lists minimum requirements for selective treatment of hazardous components. IgeraIndustria identifies the treatment standards your recycling partner must comply with under WEEE 2012/19/EU.
Export of WEEE for treatment
WEEE exported to non-EU countries for treatment must meet the requirements of the Basel Convention and must be proven to meet the same environmental protection standard as required in the EU. IgeraIndustria clarifies the documentation and audit requirements for export of WEEE.
Market surveillance and penalties
Member States must establish penalties for WEEE non-compliance that are effective, proportionate and dissuasive. IgeraIndustria explains what market surveillance authorities verify during inspection and what documentation must be available.
The 4 key obligations of WEEE 2012/19/EU producers
These obligations define what EEE manufacturers and importers must fulfil before placing electrical and electronic equipment on the EU market.
Obligation 1 — Producer registration
All producers must register in the national WEEE producer register before placing EEE on the market. In Spain: SIGRAEEE (Registro de Productores de Aparatos Eléctricos y Electrónicos). Registration requires company details, EEE categories placed on market, and choice of compliance scheme (SIG or individual system). Unregistered producers may not legally sell EEE in the Member State.
Obligation 2 — Finance collection and treatment
Producers must finance the costs of collection from collection points, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE from private households. This is typically fulfilled by joining a collective scheme (SIG) that manages collection infrastructure and reports to competent authorities on behalf of member producers.
Obligation 3 — Product marking
EEE placed on the market after 13 August 2005 must bear the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol (WEEE Art. 14). The symbol must be printed visibly, legibly and indelibly on the product. A date mark below the symbol indicates it was placed on market after the 2005 date, distinguishing it from historical WEEE for cost allocation purposes.
Obligation 4 — Information provision
Producers must provide information to distributors, recyclers and users on the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol, the separate collection requirement, and recycling information. For B2B equipment, the producer must inform business customers of the collection and treatment obligation and the costs involved when the equipment reaches end of life.
How IgeraIndustria works for WEEE 2012/19/EU
Five steps from loading your product documentation to receiving an answer with the exact WEEE article, applicable collection target, and required registration documentation.
Index your WEEE compliance documentation
Upload your SIG membership certificates, SIGRAEEE registration documents, annual WEEE reporting data and product category lists. IgeraIndustria processes them together with the full WEEE 2012/19/EU text and Spanish transposition RD 110/2015 in under 24 hours.
Connect the assistant to your compliance team
Embed it in your compliance portal, Teams, Slack or as a standalone tool for the environmental and regulatory team. One line of code. Compatible with any document management system.
Ask in plain language
«Do we need to register as WEEE producers in France if we sell directly online?», «What recovery rate applies to our industrial server equipment?», «How do we handle B2B WEEE from a customer that is closing their office?»
IgeraIndustria searches across 2 knowledge layers
First in your internal compliance documentation (SIG certificates, registration records, annual reports), then in the indexed WEEE 2012/19/EU directive and Spanish RD 110/2015 transposition.
Answer with directive reference and applicable obligation
The response cites the applicable WEEE article or annex, states the applicable collection or recovery target, flags registration requirements in specific Member States, and identifies the most common errors that market surveillance authorities detect.
IgeraIndustria in action — WEEE cross-border producer registration
Cross-border WEEE producer registration query for online EEE sales into France resolved in under 3 seconds with the applicable directive article and registration requirement.
Compliance Manager
We manufacture industrial UPS systems in Spain and sell directly online to French businesses. Do we need to register as WEEE producers in France?
IgeraIndustria
WEEE 2012/19/EU — Cross-border distance sales registration
Yes — registration in France is mandatory:
- • WEEE Art. 17(2): producers selling EEE by distance communication directly to private or professional users in another Member State must register in that Member State
- • France: register with ADEME (Registre national des producteurs — REP Équipements Électriques et Électroniques)
- • You may appoint an authorised representative in France (Art. 17(3)) to fulfil registration on your behalf
Action required:
- • Join a French eco-organisme (Eco-Systèmes, Recylum) to fulfil collective WEEE obligations
- • Report annual EEE placed on market in France by category to ADEME
⚠️ Your Spanish SIGRAEEE registration does NOT cover sales in France — each Member State requires separate registration
✓ WEEE 2012/19/EU Art. 17(2)+(3) · Confidence: 99.1%
200
employees, UPS manufacturer
5
EU countries registered in 3 weeks
0
WEEE compliance gaps at audit
We were selling UPS systems across five EU countries without knowing we needed to register as WEEE producers in each country separately. IgeraIndustria identified the gap in minutes, explained the cross-border registration requirement under Art. 17, and guided us through appointing authorised representatives. We completed registration in all five countries in three weeks and passed our first WEEE compliance audit cleanly.
*Representative testimonial based on results from real customers
Frequently asked questions — WEEE 2012/19/EU
Who is a 'producer' under the WEEE Directive and what are their obligations?
Under WEEE 2012/19/EU, a producer is any person who manufactures and sells EEE under their own brand, resells EEE made by other suppliers under their own brand, or imports/exports EEE into an EU Member State on a professional basis. Producers must: register in national producer registers (in Spain, SIGRAEEE), finance the collection, treatment and recycling of WEEE from private households, provide information to distributors and recyclers, and mark EEE with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol (Article 14).
What are the collection and recycling targets under WEEE 2012/19/EU?
From 2019, the WEEE Directive requires that Member States achieve a minimum collection rate of 65% of the average weight of EEE placed on the market in the three preceding years, OR 85% of WEEE generated on their territory. Minimum recovery rates by category range from 70% (large household appliances, automatic dispensers) to 80% (IT and telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics). Spain has transposed these targets through RD 110/2015 on WEEE.
How must WEEE from professional users be managed?
For B2B (professional) WEEE, the producer and the business user can agree on alternative collection and treatment arrangements, provided they achieve at least the same level of performance as the standard scheme. Typically, the producer (or their collective scheme — SIG) collects and treats professional WEEE free of charge if the EEE was placed on the market after 13 August 2005. For EEE placed before that date (historical waste), the costs are shared between producers currently active on the market.
IgeraIndustria WEEE 2012/19/EU Plans
No lock-in. Cancel whenever you want.
Starter
For EEE manufacturers that need to understand WEEE producer obligations, register correctly in national registers and manage annual reporting.
- WEEE 2012/19/EU pre-indexed
- Producer registration guidance
- SIG collective scheme support
- 1,000 queries/month
- Widget for the compliance team
- Email support
Professional
For companies selling EEE in multiple EU Member States that need ongoing WEEE cross-border registration and reporting support.
- WEEE + internal compliance docs indexed
- Cross-border registration guidance
- Annual reporting support
- 5,000 queries/month
- Directive update alerts
- Priority support
Enterprise
For industrial groups with multiple EEE product lines requiring integrated WEEE, RoHS and REACH compliance management.
- Multi-directive (WEEE + RoHS + REACH)
- Multi-product line management
- Market surveillance response kit
- Unlimited queries
- 99.9% uptime SLA
- Dedicated customer success
Comply with WEEE 2012/19/EU. No more registration gaps.
- Free 14-day trial — no credit card required
- Full WEEE 2012/19/EU text and RD 110/2015 pre-indexed from day 1
- Upload your SIG certificates, SIGRAEEE registration and annual reports
- Cross-border producer registration guidance for all EU Member States