Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment


Compliance with Council Directives 2002/95/EC and 2002/96/EC
(RoHS and WEEE)

NetCat SYSTEMS GmbH is listed in the German register of manufacturers of electrical appliances (Elektro-Altgeräte Register, “EAR”) and registered under no. WEEE Reg.
no. DE 69087925. On 16 March 2005, Germany’s Lower House of Parliament or Bundestag adopted the Law on Electrical and Electronic Equipment (“ElektroG”), thus implementing the two EU directives (RoHS and WEEE) in national law.

As from 13 August 2005, all electrical appliances and electronic devices intended or suitable for private use must be labeled by the manufacturer in accordance with Annex II of the above statute (ElektroG, Sect. 3 (11) and Sect. 12 Clause 2).
As from November 2005, manufacturers are obliged in accordance with ElektroG, Sect. 6 (2) to register with the agency for used electrical equipment (Stiftung Elektro-Altgeräte or “EAR”) before putting electrical appliances or electronic devices on the market (ElektroG, Sect. 6 [2] and [3]).

The ban on hazardous substances came into force on 1 July 2006, prohibiting manufacturers from “putting new electrical and electronic equipment on the market that contains more than 0.1 per cent by weight of lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) for each homogeneous material, or more than 0.01 per cent by weight of cadmium per homogeneous material” (ElektroG, Sect. 6 [1] Clause 1).

We at NetCat SYSTEMS complied early on with the definitions given in the statute and have taken measures to implement the legislation. Heeding these measures also affects our suppliers and manufacturers.

What are WEEE and RoHS?

WEEE (Council Directive 2002/96/EC)

Full title: DIRECTIVE 2002/96/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

This EU Directive stipulates that used electrical appliances and electronic devices have to be taken back and recycled by the manufacturer.

RoHS (Council Directive 2002/95/EC)

Full title: DIRECTIVE 2002/95/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

This EU Directive lays down restrictions on using certain hazardous substances in electrical appliances and electronic devices. Specific bans or limits are prescribed for certain substances posing a risk to human health and the environment.
Both these Directives have been binding European Law since 13 February 2003 and have to be implemented in national law by each Member State.