May 20 2008
The waste electronics recycling industry is rapidly growing in Europe and this is mainly thanks to legislation; principally the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive complimented by the ROHS (Restriction On the use of certain Hazardous Substances) directive, which represent the most important driver in this market. The WEEE Directive aims to increase the 're-use, recycling and recovery' of waste by limiting the amount of waste going to final disposal and providing an incentive for producers to design more environmentally-friendly electrical and electronic equipment through producer responsibility. This measure along with associated local legislation has already had a strong impact on the fast increasing waste stream of electrical and electronic equipment across the EU.
On this topic Frost & Sullivan will host a free telephone and web briefing on Tuesday 27 May 2008 at 3.00 p.m. GMT to provide industry participants with an overview of the Waste Electronics Recycling Market.
With respect to impact, legislation, along with landfill site scarcity in certain countries, will be the most important driver for both prices and volumes in the waste recycling industry. Legislation is based on producer liability and includes a take-back obligation that aggressively supports recycling of major components. The impact of legislation as a key driver in this market is already visible in countries which have created strong local laws to supplement these EU policies.
"The WEE Directive has already spurred on intense interest and activity in the electronics waste market in Europe. Suppliers recognise this legislation as a key promoter of activity in the recycling market as is evidenced by the growing number of associations assisting companies to comply and regulate the collection, reuse, recycling and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment,” observes Suchitra Padmanabhan, Frost & Sullivan’s Programme Manager.
The market is still geographically fairly concentrated with Germany setting the pace for other countries to follow. The Alpine Region, consisting of Austria and Switzerland, is also well ahead of most other European regions. The United Kingdom and Ireland and the Netherlands also have an important electronics recycling industry that is actively supported by local legislation and pressure groups, which will shape market demand. In the future, the relative importance of the French and Scandinavian (including Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) markets is expected to grow significantly.
Overall, it is evident that the EU is fiercely committed towards enhancing its recycling portfolio and reducing the potential impacts of a rapidly growing electronics and IT industry on the waste management industry. The recycling market is therefore expected to grow rapidly over the next 5 years as the rest of the countries in the EU try to keep pace with both legislation as well as advanced neighbouring countries with respect to compliance and setting up high environmental standards for recycling.
Highlights of the briefing include: an analysis of the legislative trends, market activity in growth regions and some responses companies have already taken to address this legislation.
This briefing will benefit equipment manufacturers and servicing companies in the waste management market by discussing emerging trends and providing forward projections for the European Waste Management Industry.
To participate, please email Chiara Carella - Corporate Communications at [email protected] with the following information: your full name, title, company name, telephone number, e-mail address, city, state, and country. Upon receipt of the above information, a registration link will be emailed to you. You may also register to receive a recorded version of the briefing at anytime by submitting the aforementioned contact details.