The EU Directive 2012/19/EU (WEEE Directive) aims to prevent or reduce the negative environmental effects resulting from the generation and management of WEEE. Its key purpose is to contribute to the prevention of WEEE and, in addition, the promotion of the re-use and recycling of such wastes.
All 27 EU Member States have transposed the EU WEEE Directive into national laws. There are many similarities among those national laws but also several significant differences. Companies selling into the EU may need to comply with those national laws in all Member States where they sell.