Abstract:
Due to potential environmental, resource and health problems associated with waste, waste
minimisation is a prioritised waste management strategy in many countries. Producer
responsibility policies promote waste minimisation by stipulating separate collection and
recycling of particular waste streams. In addition, a purpose of the policy is to encourage
product development that reduces waste generation and improves recyclability. It is
sometimes assumed that the financial responsibility assigned to producers for collection
and recycling of their end-of-life products will instigate waste minimising product
development in order to reduce costs. However, this view has also been contested.
Following the adoption of the WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC) all EU member states have to
implement producer responsibility for WEEE. Taking a qualitative multiple case study
approach, this study explores company responses to the costs of existing national producer
responsibility policies for WEEE in relation product development. The purpose is to inform
policy-making on the effectiveness of producer responsibility charges in achieving waste
minimising product development.
The study comprises both large companies and SMEs in the lighting equipments sector. It
also includes companies in EU member states without producer responsibility for WEEE in
order to see if there are any differences in waste-minimising product design among
countries and if national policies have an impact beyond national borders. Economic
principles and previous research findings on ecodesign make up the analytical framework
for the study.
Quantitative data on cost-benefits of ecodesign and waste minimisation achievements were
scarce. However, the company responses show that the costs imposed on the producers by
the WEEE policy have had little effect on product development so far. The costs can
generally be transferred to customers via product prices. The price increases were generally
small and without any negative effects on competitiveness. Other drivers such as bans on
certain substances, environmental industry product declarations, commercial advantages
including direct customer demands from for instance public procurers, are more effective.
