Our History

The European Electronics Recyclers Association (EERA) is a non-profit trade association (founded in 2004) to give a voice to electronics re-use, recycling and re-processing companies across Europe at a time when the e-waste industry had only just started to develop at an exponential rate.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was published in 2003 to govern the sale, take-back and proper environmentally sound treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment within the European Union. This ushered in a new era of improved regulations for the collection, re-use, recycling and treatment of e-waste that would come into force in 2007. Being an EU Directive and not a Regulation, every country in Europe initiated its own WEEE legislation, this heterogeneity has caused various problems in the latter years, even though the WEEE Directive forms the basic legal framework, with the differences between the individual Member States sometimes enormous.

Our founding members could see that they had a stronger presence by grouping together to form EERA so that their interests could be better understood by legislators; and so we could defend our positions and help develop good practices and quality standards within the industry.

Our Association is now made up of members with >800 facilities right across the continent of Europe, and membership open to WEEE re-use, recycling and end-processing companies of good standing across the continent of Europe. New members are always welcome.