PV CYCLE
European association for the take-back andtreatment of discarded PV Panels
GRCJ- AGC Delegation 19.11.2015
Brussels© PV CYCLE 2014

AGENDA• MISSION• HISTORY• LEGISLATION• OUR SERVICES– Collection: small & large quantities– Recycling and Treatment• KEY FIGURES• LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTMISSION• PV CYCLE is a pan-European Producer scheme, offering dedicatedcompliance and waste management services for products under WEEE andBattery Producer Responsibility regulations, with a special focus on solar
energy systems.
• We enable our members to execute their commitment to sustainablewaste management by offering the best-in-class waste management andcompliance service for discarded solar energy system products in theEuropean countries.

HISTOIRE•

Founded in 2007 by the photovoltaic industry, PV CYCLE
has started as a voluntary system managing thephotovoltaic waste by offering services to the Producers& Importers based in Europe•

At the forefront of collective collection and recycling
solutions in the photovoltaic industry, PV CYCLE hasalready treated several thousand of tons ofphotovoltaic panels which reached their end of life•

Today, PV CYCLE is composed of several national
subsidiaries managing daily operations and offeringsolutions for treatment and WEEE-compliance of wastefrom a wide variety of products from solar equipment

LEGISLATION• Waste management must be executed in compliance with the European,national and/or local regulations• WEEE Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)–

The WEEE Directive governs the management of products that have reached their end of life and requires Producers (eg.
Manufacturers and Importers) of electrical and electronic equipment to comply with national legislation on the organization ofwaste management, especially towards financial and administrative responsibility. The first WEEE Directive (2002/96) dates backto January 27, 2003, and was amended in 2003 and 2008. Since 2012, the photovoltaic panels are also within the scope of thisDirective.

• Waste Directive–

Established to avoid harmful effects of waste generation and promote sustainable waste management, the European Directive
2008/98 / EU on waste provides a legal framework for waste management in Europe. It also defines the concepts and definitions
around this theme.

• Waste Shipment Regulation–The European Regulation 1013/2006 / EU on waste transfers defines the procedures on waste shipments within the EU as wellas to and from third countries. Thereby regulating shipments of waste, the EU aims to better protect the environment andprevent uncontrolled transfers.

WHO IS PRODUCER ?
• Manufacturer established in a country of EU-28 and putting for the firsttime an EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) on the territory of thatcountry (sells under his own name or own brand)• Distributor established in a country of EU-28 and putting for the first timean EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) on the territory of that country(resells under his own name or own brand)• Importer established in a country of EU-28 and putting for the first time on
the territory of that country, on a professional basis, EEE (Electrical andElectronic Equipment) originating from third countries or another countryof the EU-28• Natural or legal person which sells EEE by distance sales communication
directly to households or users other than households, in a country of theEU-28, and which is established in another country of the EU-28 or in a thirdcountry (online sales)OBLIGATIONS OF THE PRODUCER ?
•••••Registration in the WEEE Register;
Reporting of the quantities put-on-the-market in weight;
Reporting of the quantities collected and treated;
Informing the treatment centers of the composition of the EEE products;
Informing the users (consumers)- of the potential effects on the environment and the health due to the presence of
hazardous substances in the EEE;
- the meaning of the symbol (separate collection);- the available take-back systems, encouraging the coordination of the information on theavailable collection points, irrespective which Producer or Operator has put them in place;- not disposing the WEEE with non-sorted municipal waste and proceed collecting the WEEE
separately;- of their role in the re-use, the recycling and the other forms of treatment of WEEE;• Informing how they execute their obligations (individual or collective)

OUR SERVICES•PV CYCLE services cover the complete compliance and waste management process for WEEE (incl. Solar equipment products)
in one or more countries

Compliance services•
Centralized online registration and declaration•
Financial guarantee (country-specific)•
PV-focused consultancy•
Campaigning and marketing services•WEEE Compliance (according the specific requirements
country per country).

Waste management services•
Collection on the territory of each country:––––•

Hundreds of fixed collection points
Direct pick-up service for large quantities
Collection via municipal collection points (country-specific,only for household WEEE)
Collection through distributor locations (country-specific)

Recycling:
State-of-the-art recycling and treatment solutions

Tailor-made solutions•
Consultancy and centralized solutions for companies operating across Europe•
Interesting solutions for internationally operating companies, e.g. authorised representativeOUR COLLECTION SERVICES• PV CYCLE is operational in 28 countries of the EU and the 4 countries ofthe EFTA.
• The network of PV CYCLE is composed of:– Hundreds of fixed collection points in Germany, France and Belgium– To find your nearest collection point, consult the Navigator on www.pvcycle.org.

– A collection service for large quantities– European recycling partners– Experienced waste transportation partners

COLLECTION - SUMMARY

COLLECTION SMALL QUANTITIES• To find your nearest
collection point inBelgium e.g. , visit ourCollection Point Locatorat www.pvcycle.org.

ADVANTAGES TO BECOME A FIXEDCOLLECTION POINT• Additional and more distinctive service towards customers• Certificate of PV CYCLE, which acknowledges the collection
point as a partner• Listed on sur www.pvcycle.org with their contact details• Free of charge marketing material in both electronic andhardcopy version• Free of charge use of the PV CYCLE Logo

REQUIREMENTS TOWARDS FIXEDCOLLECTION POINTS• Signature of the Collection Point Contract• Available space for two receptacles in a safe location: Silicon
based & non-Silicon thin-film based [1.820 x 1.200 x 1.190 mm]• Smooth administrative procedure for accepting discarded PV
Panels in PV CYCLE’ network• Contact PV CYCLE for the pick-up when the containers are fullCOLLECTION POINT (CTD)• After signature of the contract, PV
CYCLE delivers the container)• The different technologies areseparately collected.
• All silicon-based PV Panels can bepacked together (mono-, poly-,amorphous et micro-morphous).
• All the other technologies such as
CI (G) S, CdTe PV must be packed
separately from silicon based PVPanels.

For more information about the roleof a Collection Point, contact us byoperations@pvcycle.org

COLLECTION POINT (CTD)••••

Complete the form online
and submit thisAn e-mail is sent with thecontract and additional
information related to therole of a collection point
Return the signed contract
to PV CYCLE
After the signature of thecontract your company islisted on our website being
an official collection point.

COLLECTION OF LARGE QUANTITIES• Discarded PV Panels are, from a legal point of view, waste.
• The definition of waste does not imply that the handling of waste
PV Panels should not happen in an proper way.
 Therefore important to learn and to brief Owners of waste PV
Panels how to pack properly the panels in order to avoid extra damages
and issues during the loading and transportation.

COLLECTION OF LARGE QUANTITIESProperly packed

COLLECTION OF LARGE QUANTITIESNot properly packed

OUR RECYCLING SERVICES• Our Recycling partners have been tested during many years and havealready treated more than 12.500 tonnes.
• These partners guarantee an efficient and sustainable treatment of the PV
Panels, resulting in 95% recovery of the materials.
• By working with companies located in Europe, we can guarantee that the“Best Available Techniques” are applied for the treatment of each PV
Panel technology.

TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
The secondary raw materials• The recovered materials can be
reprocessed in the industry as:– New materials– New products• This prevents the use of primary
raw materials and therefore limits
the use of these materials.

KEY FIGURES• PV CYCLE is the first collective take-back scheme for PV module waste
worldwide and active since June 2010.
– More than 12.500 tonnes collected to date
Historical overview per year

Cumulative total per country
4000
101
174

177

393

Germany

276

Spain

584

3762

3500
3065
3000

Italy

2500
732

2099

France1815

2000
Belgium

1.788

7.074

UK

Poland

1429

1500
1000

946
The Netherlands

500
76

Slovenia

02010

other European countries (CZ,HU,GR,CH,A,DK,LU,SK, RO; BG)

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT & PV RECYCLING• 1 tonne recycled Si-based PV
Panels saves >1,200 kg CO2emissions• Recycling of aluminum andglass cullet  significant
reduction of theenvironmental profile of therecycling process

kg CO2-equiv./tonne spent module

LCA – Impact of Si PV module recycling on CO2 savings

Source: Fraunhofer Institute IBP, LCA screening of a recycling process for silicon based PV modules, May 2012, in GWP for 100 years

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTIONQUESTIONS?
Tel: +32 (0)2 880 72 50
jan.clyncke@pvcycle.org© PV CYCLE 2014