PARIS, November 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Four leading manufacturers of electrical and electronic appliances, Braun, Electrolux, HP and Sony have today set up the first ever pan-European take back and compliance scheme for waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). To administer the pan-European scheme, the companies have today established the limited company ERP SAS, which is registered in Paris, France. The scheme, operating as the ERP WEEE Compliance Scheme, has been in development since December 2003 and is in response to the European WEEE Directive which is due to come into effect across Europe in the second half of 2005.

"Our objective is to create the most cost efficient WEEE take back compliance scheme and to stimulate competition between WEEE take back systems in all EU countries," says Hans Korfmacher, assigned president of the ERP company. "We anticipate that the customers and consumers of each of the companies involved will benefit from the cost efficiencies we will achieve through the ERP."

ERP will outsource all operational activities, including recycling, logistics and the administrative work to manage the operational activities to at least two general contractors. "ERP will take back WEEE from municipal and other collection points, such as retailers, in order to provide the best service for our customers and to ensure compliance for ERP Members." Korfmacher explains.

ERP WEEE Compliance Scheme will focus on operations in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK and will apply for any necessary permits as and when the legislation and procedures become clear in each individual market. Additional countries will be considered at a later stage. Based on the four founders, ERP represents an estimated 15 percent of the pan-European WEEE take back market. Negotiations are taking place with a number of other companies interested in becoming ERP Members. Membership of ERP will be limited to avoid ERP establishing any dominant position.

Background to the ERP and the WEEE Directive

The European Recycling Platform was set up in December 2002 by Braun, Electrolux, HP and Sony in response to the introduction of the European Union's Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The ERP's mission is to ensure cost effective implementation of the directive, for the benefit of the participating companies and their customers, through innovative waste management strategies and to encourage national implementation of the directive according to a set of core principles, fundamental to the protection of consumers and business, as well as the environment. More information is available at www.erp-recycling.org.

The WEEE Directive is a new legal framework within which producers are obliged to contribute or to organise the disposal, recycling or recovery of the goods they market after 13 August 2005. Producers are also obliged to handle the recycling of a proportion, based on their market share year by year, of the waste from products sold before 13 August 2005.

About Braun

Germany-based Braun GmbH, a subsidiary of The Gillette Company, manufactures a wide variety of products that marry innovation, quality and aesthetic design, ranging from electrical shavers to personal diagnostic appliances and from oral care products and beauty products to household appliances. Braun products enjoy worldwide distribution and many of them enjoy worldwide market leadership. More information is available at www.braun.com.

About Electrolux

Electrolux is the world's largest producer of powered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use, such as refrigerators, washing machines, cookers, vacuum cleaners, chain saws, lawn mowers, and garden tractors. In 2003, Group sales were SEK 124 billion and the Group had 77,000 employees. Every year, customers in more than 150 countries buy more than 55 million Electrolux Group products for both consumer and professional use. The Electrolux Group includes famous appliance brands such as AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi, Frigidaire, Eureka, and Husqvarna. More information is available at www.electrolux.com.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the fiscal year ending on Oct. 31, 2003, HP revenue totaled US$73.1 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.

About Sony

Sony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to become a leading personal broadband entertainment company in the 21st century. In Europe, Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 13.47 billion (yen 1,765 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, based on an average market exchange rate for the same period of yen 131 to the EUR. Sony Europe, headquartered at the Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsible for the company's European electronics business and registered consolidated sales of EUR 8.71 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004. For more information on Sony Europe, please visit www.sony-europe.com and www.sony-europe.com/presscenter.