The European Union's WEEE Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is aimed at reducing waste from these products, and to encourage their recovery, reuse and recycling.

The directive sets requirements and targets for the collection, recycling, recovery and environmentally sound treatment of electrical and electronic equipment once it has reached the end of its useful life. It requires producers of electrical and electronic equipment to finance most of these activities.

Since the WEEE Directive became operational in August 2005, Ericsson has been in compliance with its requirements in every country in which it has been transposed into national legislation. Experience with reuse and recycling gained during implementation of the WEEE Directive is now being adapted to Ericsson's non-European markets.

Effective end-of-life strategies for business-to-business products form a core part of Ericsson's drive to create a safe and clean environment. Customer and social responsibility, as well as legal requirements such as the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive (2002/96/EC), have prompted Ericsson to develop a comprehensive solution for the end-of-life return of decommissioned products. Our global end-of-life treatment program is called Ecology Management Provision. Initiated three years before the WEEE requirements became law in the EU, this proactive approach gives Ericsson an effective tool to meet waste-management challenges in all our markets around the world.