Obligations as manufacturer under the ElektroG

First the good news: We support you with your legal obligations!

The legal requirements often involve a lot of effort, are complicated and constantly change due to new legislation. Is all this too confusing for you? Then let us take over these tasks for you. Get a non-binding, transparent quote on costs and the current fees of stiftung ear.

The diagram below shows the cycle of the ElektroG:

1. Manufacturers of electronic products register with stiftung EAR.
2. Private households purchase electrical equipment and hand in waste electronic equipment to municipal collection facilities (or retailers).
3. The municipal collection facilities report to stiftung EAR once a container is full.
4. Stiftung EAR decides which company will be responsible for ensuring that the container is disposed of professionally.

Registration & reporting with stiftung ear

Before companies are allowed to sell their electrical and electronic equipment, they must first register with stiftung ear (initial registration).

Registration number: WEEE number

Only when their registration has been processed and approved by stiftung EAR do they receive a registration number, known as a WEEE number. With that number, they are allowed to commence selling their products. According to the ElektroG, every registered company is obliged to indicate the WEEE number when offering products and on invoices, so that other companies and consumers can see that the companies comply with their obligations under the ElektroG.

Registration of foreign companies via an authorised representative

Companies that sell electronic equipment in Germany and that are not based in Germany must appoint an authorised representative to stiftung ear. The authorised representative represents the company in Germany and ensures that it meets its legal obligations under the ElektroG. Foreign companies that are already registered with stiftung ear under the former ElektroG-1 must re-register via an authorised representative. Their old registration including their WEEE number will be cancelled.

Reporting in the ear portal

Registered companies must regularly report the quantities of products sold in the ear system. Here they must also make update and supplementary registrations. This applies if, for example, the name of the company changes or additional products and/or brands are to be registered.

Registration is a complex issue and means great effort for manufacturers. The registration of sold devices must be done in due time, otherwise fines may be imposed. The weee full service includes the registration and notification processes at the stiftung ear. Please contact us for a non-binding consultation on our conditions.

In order to register B2C products , companies need to provide an insolvency-proof guarantee. This guarantee is to ensure that even if a company should go bankrupt, the electrical and electronic equipment already sold can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Both individual and collective guarantee solutions exist. Every guarantee is checked by stiftung ear.

weee full-service provides the oldest warranty system registered on the market. With the so-called "Garantiesystem Altgeräte", we have been recognised by the ear foundation for 15 years and cover the largest guarantee volume in the German market. A second guarantee system of our own is also available to manufacturers of smaller quantities: "weee full-service (up to 5 t)". 

Contact us if you would like to learn more about our insolvency-proof guarantee.

The disposal of WEEE that ends up at the municipal collection points is centrally coordinated by stiftung ear. As soon as the containers at the municipal collection points are full, it sends so-called collection orders to registered manufacturers and authorised representatives. The companies are then obliged to collect the containers, dispose of the old equipment properly and provide a new container. 

Companies must engage a certified waste management company for coordination. In this way, they ensure that they comply with a collection order within the given deadline. Waste management companies operating throughout Germany are eligible for this. The number of pick-up requests sent to each company depends on the number of appliances sold by that company.

The disposal costs are borne by the manufacturers themselves. The disposal prices differ depending on the type of equipment and are laid down in a framework agreement. Through our purchasing association, we can guarantee you favourable conditions. We renegotiate these with our disposal companies every year.

Further links

• Duties according to the ElektroG

• Duties according to the BattG