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24.11.2020 – 09:32
Deutsche Umwelthilfe eV
BerlinBerlin (ots)
- Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf verurteilt Netto-Online zur kostenlosen Rücknahme von gebrauchten LED- und Energiesparlampen - Erstmals wurde ein Online-Händler durch ein Oberlandesgericht zur Einhaltung der Rücknahmeverpflichtung nach dem Elektrogesetz rechtskräftig verurteilt - DUH fordert Online-Händler auf, ihre Kunden aktiv über Rückgabemöglichkeiten zu informieren und Elektroschrott unkompliziert an stationären Abgabestellen zurückzunehmen
In the proceedings of Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) against the online retailer NeS GmbH (Netto-Online.de), the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court has strengthened the right of consumers to return goods to online retailers. The environmental and consumer protection association had sued the internet representation of the third largest German discounter Netto Marken-Discount to take back old lamps. The court ruled that Netto-Online must take back worn out lighting fixtures such as LED and energy-saving lamps free of charge and actively provide information about the return options.
“To ensure that electronic waste does not end up in household waste or the environment, online retailers are legally obliged to take them back free of charge. Mail order is booming due to the corona crisis, but we still have to enforce the rights of consumers first. Now it is important that not only Netto-Online implement take-backs as simply and consumer-friendly as possible, but also all online retailers who sell electrical appliances. This means: You have to provide comprehensive information on your website and provide uncomplicated take-back offers at stationary collection points “, demands the deputy DUH federal manager Barbara Metz.
In the present case, Netto-Online referred consumers who wanted to return old electrical appliances to the Electroretoure24 take-back system. Electroretoure24 rightly excluded the dispatch of used old lamps for disposal by parcel post due to the risk of breakage and the pollutant content. However, consumers were not adequately informed about their return rights in this case. In the DUH return tests, Electroretoure24 also referred to the drop-off points in stationary retail for broken energy-saving lamps without – as required by law – offering their own return options.
Roland Demleitner, lawyer, represented DUH in court and emphasized the importance of the judgment for consumer protection: “With the judgment of the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court, an online retailer has now for the first time been sentenced to comply with its own take-back obligations under Section 17 Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act. The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court confirms that the obligation to take back is a competition-relevant market behavior regulation that serves to protect consumers. The court also confirms that retailers who are obliged to take back must create their own return options and inform consumers appropriately about their return rights. “
Tests by the DUH have repeatedly shown significant problems with the legally required return of old electrical appliances in online retail. The DUH therefore calls on the responsible state authorities to carry out their own undercover test visits and to impose high fines in the event of violations. As long as the authorities remain inactive, the DUH will continue to monitor the proper take-back of electronic waste and, if necessary, enforce it through legal action.
“It cannot be that we still find problems with our tests, even though online retailers have been obliged to take back electronic waste for more than four years. The responsible supervisory authorities are obviously not fulfilling their control function. This endangers our environment and health, since electronic waste is often contaminated with toxic heavy metals and pollutants. The federal states urgently need to provide sufficient personnel so that important environmental and consumer protection laws not only exist on paper, but are also implemented in practice “, says the deputy head of the circular economy division at DUH, Philipp Sommer.
Background:
Since July 24, 2016, consumers have been able to return used small electrical appliances up to 25 cm free of charge to retailers who sell electrical appliances in an area of at least 400 square meters – the shipping and storage area applies to online retailers. Old devices larger than 25 cm can be returned free of charge when purchasing a similar new device. With a take-back volume of 98,925 tons in 2019, retailers have so far only made a small contribution to the collection of electronic waste. In total, around 1.8 million tons of electronic waste are generated in Germany every year. According to preliminary figures from the Stiftung Elektro-Altgeräte Register, only 742,436 tons of electronic waste were collected in Germany in 2019, which significantly tore the mandatory EU collection rate of 65 percent.
Links:
- Urteil des Oberlandgerichts Düsseldorf: http://l.duh.de/p201124a - Stellungnahme der DUH zum Elektrogesetz: https://www.duh.de/themen/recycling/elektrogeraete/ - DUH-Testergebnisse sowie Flyer für Händler und Verbraucher zur Rückgabe ausgedienter Elektrogeräte: https://www.duh.de/projekte/rueckgabe-alter-elektrogeraete/
Press contact:
Barbara Metz, Deputy Federal Manager DUH
0170 7686923, [email protected]
Roland Demleitner, Lawyer
06431 7780790, [email protected]
Philipp Sommer, Deputy Head of the DUH circular economy
030 2400867-462, [email protected]
DUH press office:
Matthias Walter, Marlen Bachmann, Thomas Grafe
030 2400867-20, [email protected]
www.duh.de, www.twitter.com/umwelthilfe, www.facebook.com/umwelthilfe, www.instagram.com/umwelthilfe
Deutsche Umwelthilfe eV
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