National Registration for Producers of Electronic Waste

In a market economy, business success and continuity is ultimately determined by the market. So the transformation that is clearly visible in our companies is accompanied by political and legal changes in the nations. The Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment serves as an example that affects companies in many ways. The most striking feature of the guideline is that the necessary registrations must be obtained for each nation of the European Union. This book is meant to support you in this matter. It has called on experts from each nation to describe the situation in their countries on the basis of a defined questionnaire. Their articles want to enable the reader to understand the matter of affairs in each country and to provide a point of contact. Complying with the obligation to register, however, should not be sufficient for forward-looking businesses. Future-oriented companies should endeavor to operatein a more environmentally sound and sustainable way, with a view to the whole life cycle of the product. From a scientific perspective, this effort must be supported by the development of procedures that allow for a systematic analysis and improvement of the system including the necessary services. Within this context, an ongoing collaboration between reliable partners and disciplines is required. For this reason, the present book is based on the close collaboration between - 1WEEE Services GmbH, Boeblingen - Diem und Partner, Law Firm, Stuttgart - Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation, Stuttgart as well as with the authors from the different countries of the European Union. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the authors for their efforts and to Springer-Verlag for including the book in their range of products, as well as to the printing house for its neat and prompt production. I hope this book may be helpful to all companies who need to register in the different countries of the European Union.