WEEE producer
According to Article 3(1)(f) of EU WEEE Directive 2012/19/EC:
(f) ‘producer’ means any natural or legal person who, irrespective of the selling technique used, including distance communication within the meaning of Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts ( 2 ):
(i) is established in a Member State and manufactures EEE under his own name or trademark, or has EEE designed or manufactured and markets it under his name or trademark within the territory of that Member State;
(ii) is established in a Member State and resells within the territory of that Member State, under his own name or trademark, equipment produced by other suppliers, a reseller not being regarded as the ‘producer’ if the brand of the producer appears on the equipment, as provided for in point (i);
(iii) is established in a Member State and places on the market of that Member State, on a professional basis, EEE from a third country or from another Member State; or
(iv) sells EEE by means of distance communication directly to private households or to users other than private households in a Member State, and is established in another Member State or in a third country.
Batteries producer
According to Article 3(12) of EU Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC:
(12) ‘producer’ means any person in a Member State that, irrespective of the selling technique used, including by means of distance communication as defined in Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts ( 1 ), places batteries or accumulators, including those incorporated into appliances or vehicles, on the market for the first time within the territory of that Member State on a professional basis;
According to Article 3(1)(47) of EU Batteries Regulation 2023/1542:
(47) ‘producer’ means any manufacturer, importer or distributor or other natural or legal person that, irrespective of the selling technique used, including by means of distance contracts, either:
(a) is established in a Member State and manufactures batteries under its own name or trademark, or has batteries designed or manufactured and supplies them for the first time under its own name or trademark, including those incorporated in appliances, light means of transport or other vehicles, within the territory of that Member State;
(b) is established in a Member State and resells within the territory of that Member State, under its own name or trademark, batteries, including those incorporated in appliances, light means of transport or other vehicles, manufactured by others, on which the name or trademark of those other manufacturers does not appear;
(c) is established in a Member State and supplies for the first time in that Member State on a professional basis, batteries, including those incorporated in appliances, light means of transport or other vehicles, from another Member State or from a third country; or
(d) sells batteries, including those incorporated in appliances, light means of transport or other vehicles, by means of distance contracts directly to end-users, whether or not they are private households, in a Member State, and is established in another Member State or in a third country;
Packaging producer
Packaging Directive 94/62/EC does not directly define the term packaging producer. The Directive refers to ‘economic operators’ and represents different levels of the packaging supply chain.
According to Article 3(11) of Packaging Directive 94/62/EC:
11. ‘economic operators’ in relation to packaging shall mean suppliers of packaging materials, packaging producers and converters, fillers and users, importers, traders and distributors, authorities and statutory organizations;
According to Article 3(10) of the proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which will repeal Directive 94/62/EC:
(10) ‘producer’ means any manufacturer, importer or distributor, who, irrespective of the selling technique used, including by means of distance contracts as defined in Article 2(7) of Directive 2011/83/EU, makes available packaging for the first time within a territory of a Member States on a professional basis under its own name or trademark;