With the amendment of the German WEEE law (ElektroG), which was passed in November 2025, the labeling of collection and return points for waste electrical and electronic equipment will be clearly regulated nationwide. The goal is to make it easier for consumers to return old devices and to increase collection volumes.
In the future, collection points must be uniformly labeled with the official “Electrical Equipment Take-Back” symbol. This is intended to make it immediately clear where old electrical devices can be correctly returned—such as at retail stores, municipal collection points, or recycling centers.
For retailers, this means that the logo must be prominently displayed at the store entrance. Online retailers are also required to display the symbol clearly in their digital offerings or during the ordering process. (However, this applies only to online shops who are generally obligated to take back WEEE devices: “those who sell electrical and electronic equipment AND have storage and shipping areas of at least 400 square meters for these WEEE devices.”)
More information is also available from our partner, IT Recht Kanzlei: Ab Juli 2026: Neue Online-Kennzeichnungspflicht für Elektrogeräte
The new regulations will take effect on January 1, 2026, with a transition period until June 30, 2026, to allow the labeling to be implemented accordingly.
The official symbol and further information on labeling are provided by stiftung ear on their website. Companies can view and download the relevant graphics and guidelines for proper usage there.
For any questions, you can contact the Go4Recycling team at any time.