The French WEEE system. Cécile des Abbayes Research Manager Eco-systèmes

Transcription

1 The French WEEE system Research Manager Eco-systèmes

2 I. The French WEEE system 1. Focus on two specific strengths of the organisation Collaboration between collective schemes and local authorities The visible fee 2. New solutions to improve WEEE collection Recycling counters at retailers s stores New law to prohibit the sale of metals by cash II. Revision of the WEEE Directive: concern on the definition of the producer

3 Eco-systèmes 2010 key figures Created in July Operations started in November shareholders : MDA, SDA : Consumer Electronic : Retailers : 65 employees members : With an annual contribution of 140 millions Corresponding to tonnes EEE put on the market

4 I - The French WEEE system 4 systems with official agreement in France for WEEE 1 system for lamps 3 non specialized systems (all categories except lamps, cat.5) Eco-systèmes Ecologic ERP WEEE collected in 2010: tonnes (6,41 kg/hab) About collection points

5 Focus on two specific strengths of the organisation 1) Collaboration between collective schemes and local authorities to ensure each eco-organism collects every year its share of WEEE Every year the government sets a national WEEE collection target Ex: 7kg/inhab in 2011, until 10 kg/inhab in 2014 To reach the national collection target, each eco-organism has to collect a share of this target corresponding to the market share of equipments put on the market by its members. At the launch of the French WEEE scheme, each EO has contracted (through OCAD3E, the clearinghouse set up by the 4 schemes) with a number of local authorities corresponding to its scheduled need in terms of tonnes of WEEE. In addition, a few local authorities agreed to help to serve as adjustment mechanism : If one EO schedules it will miss its target by more than 1%, it can ask to launch the adjustment mechanism This mechanisms consists in a switch of collecting EO for a calculated number of adjustment local authorities for a given time period

6 Focus on two specific strengths of the organisation 2) The visible fee Visible fee Producer Separated from the price No margins all along the retail chain New in 2010: Modulated according to eco-design criteria for some products categories Distributor Collection partners Logistics and treatment suppliers Consumer

7 New solutions to improve WEEE collection 1) Recycling counters at retailers stores 4 containers: Mobile phones -> reuse by our partner from social economy Very small WEEE -> recycling Batteries -> recycling by producer responsibility scheme Ink cartridges -> reuse or recycling by retailer s service provider 5000 counters installed by the end of 2012

8 26 retailers will be equipped by the end of 2011

9 New solutions to improve WEEE collection 2) New law to try to solve the problem of metals stealing High metal price (copper) has generated an important rise in metals stealing Already existing measures not sufficient: Metals scrap dealers already have to use a register of entries keeping record of name, ID, type and quantities of metals brought by sellers. Specific police section created New finance law for Article 51 (as published in August 2011) Prohibition of payment by cash of ferrous and non-ferrous metals transactions (only credit cards and checks will be allowed) Taxation of all metals transactions

10 II - Revision of the WEEE Directive Questions about the practicality of the European definition of the producer in the Parliament version of the text European definition ( is established in the Union and places on the Union market ): The producer pays a financial guarantee when placing a product on the EU market, calculated to make sure the producer pays real end-of-life costs The producer registers in one Member State and can enter information reflecting its activities in all Member States -> Ok for product-related issues (marking, eco-design, etc.), ->But we do not understand the practicability for waste financing matters, for two reasons:

11 1) Producers cannot completely monitor intracommunity trade of EEE and it seems impractical to track back producers of WEEE Producers are not necessarily aware of the final destination of the products they place on the EU market Importers in one EU country from another one (20% of the EEE put on the market in France in 2009) would have no obligation to declare to the national register -> Potentially 20% of WEEE produced in France would have been financed in another EU country It seems impractical to track back the producers of WEEE generated in a Member State: Art 18 (EP version) The MS in which the producer is established shall, at the request of the MS in which the WEEE is generated take the necessary measures to ensure that the producer complies with all the requirements of the Directive. How is it possible to track back the producer of the WEEE generated? Sells EEE to a wholesaler in MS1 Re sells EEE to a retailer in MS2 MS2 MS1 Producer = manufacturer wholesaler Retailer

12 2) WEEE logistics and treatment costs differ from one MS to another The same EEE will have different end-of-life costs according to the country where it becomes waste Even if the treatment standards are the same all over Europe, labor costs are different Logistics costs vary a lot according to the density of population, for example they are much higher in France than e.g. Luxembourg (because of mountainous regions, overseas departments, etc.) However French producers are encouraged to treat WEEE in France To minimize waste transport To closely monitor recycling activities (875 audits by Eco-systèmes in 2010) -> So even if it was possible to completely monitor intra-community trade of EEE, and to transfer the corresponding financial guarantees from one country to another, it would not be the right amounts. -> It seems that for waste-related issues, a national definition of producer is much more practical, and leads to less administrative costs

13 12 place de la Défense Courbevoie