If you sell electrical or electronic equipment (EEE) to business customers in the EU, take-back requests are not unusual – especially during upgrades, site closures, and contract renewals. Under the EU WEEE framework, you’re generally expected to have a workable route for customers to return end-of-life equipment (WEEE) so it can be treated properly.

The rule in one sentence

For WEEE other than WEEE from private households (often called “professional” or “B2B” WEEE), EU law requires Member States to ensure that producers (or third parties acting on their behalf) provide for the collection of that waste.

In practice, that means: when a business customer wants to dispose of your equipment, you should be able to point them to a clear, compliant take-back option – without turning it into a project for them.

“Take-back” doesn’t have to be complicated

A good B2B take-back setup is usually simple and customer-friendly:

• One clear request path (e.g. online form)
• Defined scope
• A logistics option that fits the product
• A downstream partner you trust (certified collectors)
• Certificate of recycling

The legal framework also puts weight on proper handling of separately collected WEEE and ensuring it goes through appropriate treatment.

Who pays?

For professional WEEE from products placed on the market after 13 August 2005, the WEEE Directive sets the expectation that producers finance the costs of collection, treatment, recovery, and environmentally sound disposal.

At the same time, it explicitly allows producers and professional users to agree different financing arrangements contractually.

That’s why many B2B businesses handle this cleanly in commercial terms: the take-back process is available, and the cost allocation is clear upfront.

Registration and reporting still matter

Even if your priority is “just handling take-back requests,” WEEE take-back usually sits alongside producer compliance obligations. The Directive requires Member States to maintain producer registers, including producers selling by distance communication, to monitor compliance.

How Viron Compliance Ltd helps

Viron Compliance Ltd can set up WEEE take-back in a way that’s simple for your customers and easy for your team to run. We provide an EU-wide recycling network of certified partners and act as a single point of contact, so take-back requests, logistics coordination, compliant treatment, and the supporting documentation can be managed through one central process, even when equipment needs to be collected in different Member States.