Background Manufacturing and use of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) is one of the fastest growing areas of economic activity in Europe. It is one of the most important industrial sectors regarding commerce and employment in the Spanish Basque Country. However, this creates important challenges, since the waste coming from this sector is also growing three times faster – at 3-5% - than average EU waste production across all sectors. Estimations of the WEEE produced in the EU27 countries in 2005 were between 8.3 and 9.1 million tonnes. About 90% of this waste was still landfilled, incinerated or recovered without any pre-treatment, causing significant environmental impacts. The most important threats to the environment and human health are from air, water and soil contamination by heavy metals. The 2002 EU WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC) set important collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods. However, achieving these targets at national and local levels is problematic given the relative lack of information available to WEEE managers and the financial restraints they are under. This contributed to delays in implementation of the Directive – which subsequently underwent revision and recast as the new WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU). Objectives The WEEE-NET project addressed WEEE issues in the Spanish Basque Country. The main purpose was to demonstrate the viability of an innovative ICT platform for achieving the sustainable management, re-use and recycling of WEEE. The project ultimately sought to promote and support the implementation of EU Environmental policy (WEEE Directive 2002/96/CE and subsequent amendments). Specifically, the project aimed to develop a platform that would centralise the information which EEE producers are bound to make available on the components of their products and appropriate disassembly indications. It sought to combine this with the implementation of Radio Frequency identification systems to allow rapid identification of the WEEE, its producer and available associated information. The beneficiary also aimed to include an environmental assessment module in the platform. This would determine the expected environmental impact of an EEE, allowing the producers to choose the most environmentally efficient alternative from both the environmental and the economic points of view. This tool is based on the methodology of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA It was hoped that the easy availability of this information to WEEE managers would allow optimisation of the overall recycling and recovery of materials and energy. Additionally, the platform would provide an improved management and monitoring system serving as a reliable tool for the ex-change of information and best practice among all the stakeholders, and also facilitating reporting. Results The LIFE+ project WEEE-NET successfully developed a web platform combined with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) that ensures cradle-to-grave traceability of EEE. It provides the information needed for improved eco-design of EEE and better collection, re-use, recovery and recycling rates at end of life. It can be a useful tool for implementing the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU). The project conducted a comprehensive study of the current EEE life cycle, including volumes and existing management and treatment systems in 40 countries. The assessment identified a general lack of systematic approaches to optimum WEEE management and treatment. Information provided by producers on EEE content was not typically used by WEEE managers and the often poor quality of data available on WEEE volumes. The WEEE-NET team examined the role of the various stakeholders in each step of the life cycle and conducted stakeholder consultations focused on the pilot area of the Spanish Basque Country. This helped identify the most useful and relevant information on EEE products for WEEE managers and identified key areas where eco-design could be implemented in EEE manufacture to improve end-of-life management. The project decided to test the WEEE-NET technology on refrigerators. The eco-design methodology used by the project partner Fagor was assessed and implemented in a new fridge model. Then a small self-adhesive ultra high frequency (UHF) radio tag containing the key information for WEEE managers was attached to the back of 3 500 units during production. Tests showed they could still be scanned, with no interference from the metal in the fridge. The key deliverable of the project was the web-based platform, which integrates the eco-design modules, data on EEE models for producers, and definition of reception, classification and re-use procedures for e-waste managers. It provides producers and managers with the information they need to improve environmental performance over the life of EEE. Producers and managers were also provided with RFID read/write hardware to identify each EEE. Training on use of the platform to inform their decision-making was provided to different stakeholders – particularly at the design, manufacture, collection, separation and recovery stages. The public authorities were trained on accessing the platform databases to oversee WEEE management. It could enable them to distinguish between producers not just by market share, but taking into account the sustainability of their products. Testing of the pilot system showed that RFID tags containing recycling and re-use information can improve WEEE handling, sorting, recovery, recycling and disposal efficiency by around 30%. It can also speed up repair processes. They could enable better recovery of parts and provide important efficiencies for logistics operators. There are still barriers to market adoption from the cost of the tags – 15 cents each – but these are likely to reduce over time. Further issues to be addressed would include guaranteeing the privacy of business-sensitive information on the chips and the end-of-life management of the tags themselves. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).