All producers placing portable, industrial and automotive batteries and/or accumulators on the Belgian market are legally obliged to collect used batteries and to provide further treatment for them. According to local law, which derives from the European Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC, producers have to either submit a rather complex individual plan to the authorities in order to comply with their take-back obligation, or register with the compliance scheme for batteries in Belgium, Bebat. The non-profit organization fulfills the obligation on the producers’ behalf, while financing of the collective system is ensured by the producers paying environmental contributions.
If producers do not follow either of these two options, they are called “freeriders”, which is a term used in the industry all over Europe. Bebat is actively searching for freeriders on the market aiming at convincing them to comply with their legal obligations. The more producers fulfil their obligations, the more equal the competition is, and the more the impact on the environment can be reduced.
How does Bebat track freeriders? Bebat scans the Internet, the press, trade fairs, audit reports and contacts the companies to raise their awareness about their legal obligations in Belgium. They will send reminders if they do not receive any response, the last one by registered mail. Bebat says that in 2020, they contacted 2,389 companies. 72 % of the new participants registered with Bebat this way. As a result, the number of registrations has nearly tripled over the past ten years.
take-e-way will be happy to support you with your company’s registration in Belgium ensuring compliance with the local law. If you are interested in our service, please contact Ms. Alina Eggert via international@take-e-way.de or +49/40/750687-166.
For more information on our international compliance services related to the placing on the market of electronic equipment, batteries/accumulators and packaged products or packaging, please click here: https://www.take-e-way.com/services/international-compliance/
