Policy Brief: Rewiring Producer Responsibility for E-Waste

Unlocking Prevention in the WEEE Directive

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) should be a powerful instrument for preventing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and implementing the polluter-pays principle. Yet most WEEE EPR schemes remain narrowly focused on financing collection and recycling once products become e-waste. Fragmented rules, unclear responsibilities and weak incentives have prevented EPR from effectively supporting prevention, repair and reuse.

In this joint brief, the European Environmental Bureau and partner organisations call for the revision of the WEEE Directive to overhaul and harmonise producer responsibility across the EU, in order to align EPR with the waste hierarchy, create stable funding for prevention and ensure that producers assume greater responsibility for the full lifecycle impacts of their products.