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Envirowise has expressed serious concern over industry apathy towards two new European Directives. The DTI and DEFRA-funded programme has stressed that the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directives affect the entire industry.

The Directives concern the recovery, treatment and disposal of WEEE products and materials after their effective lifespan. The RoHS Directive also brings restrictions to the materials from which products can be manufactured. The legislation is due to become law in August 2004, with WEEE becoming effective 12 months later. "If manufacturers do nothing to meet compliance, from 2006 they may see their products being banned or their markets drying up," warned Envirowise programme director Martin Gibson.

"Failure by companies to get to grips with the business actions that are needed to tackle the Directives has serious implications for the whole industry and could jeopardise the UK's future position in the global marketplace," he added.

The ECA has stressed concern that the WEEE Directive is silent on the role of the installer and has been lobbying the DTI for a definition. The Directive categorises those responsible for WEEE into producers, distributors and consumers – but is unclear about who falls into each group.

"We want to know how the installer will be categorised under the three parties, recognising that there could be cases where our members could be deemed as producers...They could also be seen as distributors if running a retail outlet," explained Martin Wade, head of the ECA's commercial, contracts and legal department.

"We're advising members to watch this space and be aware of what's going on," said Wade.

The DTI and DEFRA are organising a series of free seminars on the WEEE and RoHS Directives. The first event is planned for 1 December. For details call Charlie McDermott on 01865 384927.