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EPR Reference Database

Publication type: Report

Successfully countering online free-riders

Abstract/summary

The PRO of the WEEE Forum acknowledge that the European Commission is keen to identify existing practices and experience, and possible solutions, to tackle free-riders, i.e. market operators that circumvent extended producer responsibility and related obligations, such as registration and payment of fees. Recommendations will be collated in a Guidance on these topics and will be presented at a workshop for stakeholders which is planned to take place in late June 2019. This paper seeks to present the main considerations to be taken account of when developing the Guidance. Online free-riding is an issue of great concern. Online (often distance) sellers not registered and not undertaking take back, or not paying for collection and reprocessing, impose an unfair cost on other producers and retailers, distort the market, make compliant companies less competitive and result in an overstatement of WEEE collection rates. The WEEE Forum is of the opinion that the solution to this problem is: ► Updated regulatory measures, at EU and/or Member State level, to define online platforms as the ‘producer’ of all products for which they facilitate, by whatever means, the import or entry into the Member State territory”. ► Better enforcement and enhanced, structured co-operation between producer responsibility organisations, on the one hand, and enforcement agencies, customs and other authorities, home delivery companies and marketplaces, on the other. ► Awareness campaigns to educate market operators about their EPR obligations.

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Author(s)
Individual author information unavailable
Year
2019
Publisher
WEEE Forum
Authors’ organization
WEEE Forum
Number of pages
7
URL
https://weee-forum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/countering_online_free-riders_consultation_issue_paper-2.pdf
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