The consumer electronics market is constantly expanding, innovation cycles are getting shorter and the replacement of appliances is accelerating, rapidly converting electrical and electronic equipment into a growing source of waste. In addition, the hazardous components contained in them are a major problem during the waste management phase. These products sold in the European Union are subject to the extended responsibility of the producer, who is obliged to take charge of these future residues. For this, the producer must be established in the Member State that sells, or otherwise, he must appoint an authorized representative who is responsible for compliance with their obligations in situ.

In articles 16 and 17 of the DIRECTIVE 2012/19/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL, of 4 July 2012, on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the figure of the authorized representative is described. Member States shall ensure that each producer or his authorized representative is registered and has the possibility of entering all the relevant information online in the national register in such a way as to reflect the activities of that producer in that Member State. That is, the producer or his representative must be registered as such in that country and make the relevant declarations of the products that they put into the market. It also details who exactly is the producer: any natural or legal person that, regardless of the sales channel used,
a) manufactures EEE under the producers own name or brand, or designed or manufactured and marketed under its own name or brand,
b) resells the products under their own name or its own brand equipment manufactured by third parties, without the seller being considered a ‘producer’ if the producer’s trade mark appears on the equipment,
c) is professionally engaged in the market introduction of EEE from third countries or from another Member State.

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DIRECTIVE 2012/19/UE