Scope of ElektroG
Which products does the law apply to?
From 15th August 2018 all electrical and electronic equipment is in scope of the (so-called Open Scope) – unless they have explicitly been excluded by a legal exception.
Electrical and electronic equipment
Your products are electrical and electronic equipment if they are designed for use with alternating current of maximum 1,000 volt or direct current of maximum 1,500 volt and
- depend on electrical currents or electromagnetic fields to be operated properly or
- are used for the generation, transfer and measurement of electric currents and electromagnetic fields.
The ElektroG therefore covers not only ‘classic’ electrical and electronic equipment. The scope of the law also covers products with electric or electronic components, such as furniture, clothing or lifestyle products.
Electrical and electronic equipment according to ElektroG is always only end devices, meaning ‘finished’ products; these
- fulfill an individual function,
- are determined for use or installation by end users and
- their installation can on principle be performed without much technical effort, even if by technically capable persons.
In contrast, mere components are not subject to the law.
The European WEEE Registers Network (EWRN) – the union of national registers for electrical and electronic equipment of the EU member states – has created a guideline that is to facilitate the delimitation between component and electrical and electronic equipment. It is available to download on the EWRN’s internet page in English.
Assembly kits are in scope if they are placed on the market for the end user and if an electrical or electronic equipment can be assembled with it that itself is in scope.
Batteries also are not in cope. They and some electrical and electronic equipment containing batteries are in scope of another disposal regime (). An application aid to delimit whether batteries or respectively electrical and electronic equipment that contains batteries are in the ElektroG’s scope, or that of the battery law (BattG), is available as a download (in German).