NGOs’ position on the revision of the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive

Alongside a coalition of European environmental organisations, the EEB calls for the revision of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive to focus on prevention, durability, repairability, and reuse – rather than on waste management only. 

Current levels of production, use, and disposal of electronics have severe environmental impacts and depletes scarce resources. At the same time, electric and electronic waste represents a rich source of raw materials, including critical ones – yet its potential remains largely untapped in terms of strengthening resource security and reducing Europe’s dependence on imports.

Europe cannot recycle its way out of the resource crisis. While improving the recovery of Critical Raw Materials from electronic waste is important, a revision of the WEEE Directive that focuses solely on collection and recycling risks missing the bigger picture. If the EU is serious about reducing resource consumption, cutting strategic dependencies, and building a circular economy within planetary boundaries, waste prevention must become the guiding principle of the Directive. 

Environmental NGOs call for the WEEE Directive to introduce dedicated waste prevention targets and transform Extended Producer Responsibility into a genuine driver of prevention, durability, repairability, and reuse – rather than merely a mechanism to finance waste management.