EN IEC 63395:2026
(Main)Sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste)
- Abstract
This document specifies requirements and provides guidance for the sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) for all process steps, from collection to returning recovered products, components, materials or energy to the value chain. It includes traceability, monitoring and evaluation of the e-waste flow, recovery rate and recovery quality.
This document is intended for use by an organization involved in e-waste management seeking to manage its responsibilities in a systematic manner.
The requirements set by this document will help an organization to achieve sustainability outcomes within the context of e-waste management, including:
– enhancement of organizations' performance in relation to quality, environment and occupational health and safety;
– fulfilment of compliance obligations.
This document is applicable to any organization, regardless of its size, type and nature.
This document applies to the environmental, health and safety, and quality aspects of e-waste management activities that the organization determines it can either control or influence, from a lifecycle perspective.
NOTE 1 Social aspects – e.g. employment creation, conflict minerals, employment conditions – are not addressed directly but indirectly through the benefits of sustainable management of e-waste.
NOTE 2 Additional local requirements or regulations can apply.
This document is a basic environment horizontal publication focusing on essential requirements and is primarily intended for use by committees in the preparation of publications within the area of environment in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 123. Wherever applicable, it is the responsibility of committees to make use of environment basic publications in the preparation of their environment group and product publications. Committees can apply this document directly to products when they do not develop a product publication in the area of environment.
- Status
- Published
- Publication Date
- 30-Jul-2026
- Technical Committee
- CLC/TC 111X - Environment
- Current Stage
- 6060 - Document made available - Publishing
- Start Date
- 31-Jul-2026
- Due Date
- 31-Mar-2024
- Completion Date
- 31-Jul-2026
EN IEC 63395:2026 is a European Standard from CENELEC that specifies requirements and guidance for the sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste). It covers the full chain from collection to the return of recovered products, components, materials or energy to the value chain. The document is written for organizations that manage e-waste and for committees that prepare environment-related publications.
What does EN IEC 63395:2026 specify?
EN IEC 63395:2026 sets out a horizontal framework for managing e-waste across all process steps, with emphasis on traceability, recovery rate monitoring and recovery quality. It is organized from general principles through operational requirements to final treatment routes.
The main structure is:
- Clause 4 - principles for sustainable e-waste management
- Clause 5 - overview of the e-waste management process flow
- Clause 6 - requirements supporting the QEHS management system
- Clauses 7 to 13 - collection, classification, recovery, energy recovery and disposal
- Annex A - normative QEHS management system requirements
- Annex B - methodology for deciding the recovery pathway
| Annex | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Annex A | Normative QEHS management system requirements for e-waste management, including context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement. |
| Annex B | The methodology and decision steps for choosing the recovery pathway, starting with product recovery, then component recovery, then material recovery. |
What are the key requirements of EN IEC 63395:2026?
EN IEC 63395:2026 requires an organization to manage e-waste in a controlled way from receipt to final treatment, and to prefer higher-value recovery options before lower-value ones. In practice, that means the organization has to document the process, control risks, and show how it decides where each stream goes.
- Clause 4 establishes the guiding principles. The standard prioritizes waste prevention and extending product life over recycling, energy recovery and disposal. For a reader, this means the recovery route should be chosen by environmental outcome, not just by convenience.
- Clause 6 and Annex A require a QEHS management system for all e-waste-related activities. The system can be integrated with existing quality, environmental or occupational health and safety systems. In practice, this means responsibilities, controls, records, audits and improvement actions must cover the whole e-waste operation.
- Clause 6.3 requires traceability, monitoring of the e-waste flow, recovery rate and recovery quality, plus control of outsourced work and a site closure plan. That gives the organization evidence for what entered the process, what was recovered, and where remaining fractions went.
- Clause 6.4 addresses subsistence workers. Where they are involved, the organization has to ensure the document's requirements are followed and provide relevant training. This matters where collection or recovery work involves informal or self-employed workers.
- Clause 7 covers collection, handling, storage and transport. E-waste has to be kept separate from other waste, handled with suitable tools and containers, stored safely, and transported to avoid breakage and release of hazardous substances. The practical point is to prevent contamination, injury and loss of recovery value before treatment even starts.
- Clause 8 and Annex B require the organization to define criteria for incoming e-waste, classify it by relevant attributes, and use visual inspection, checking and initial functionality tests to choose the recovery pathway. In practice, this is the decision point that steers items to reuse, repair, recycling, energy recovery or disposal.
- Clause 10 covers product and component recovery. It includes inspection of incoming e-waste, packaging and labelling, warranty considerations, refurbishment, repair, remanufacturing and data security. For buyers or operators, this section matters because it defines the controls needed to return products or components to use safely and with appropriate documentation.
- Clause 11 covers material recovery. The standard prefers dismantling and disassembly over shredding, requires depollution, addresses batteries in e-waste, and asks for monitoring of depollution effectiveness. In practice, this means hazardous parts must be removed and controlled before materials are sent onward.
- Clauses 12 and 13 cover energy recovery and disposal. These routes are used only when product, component or material recovery is not feasible, and hazardous materials are subject to stricter handling. For the reader, this sets the final fallback routes and the need for safe, documented transfer.
What terms does EN IEC 63395:2026 define?
EN IEC 63395:2026 defines the terms that control how e-waste is described, classified and routed through the system. These definitions matter because the clauses use them to decide whether an item is recovered, treated or disposed of.
- e-waste / WEEE - waste electrical or electronic equipment, including components, sub-assemblies and consumables that are part of the equipment when it is discarded.
- recovery pathway - the type and sequence of processes used to recover products, components or materials from collected e-waste.
- recovery potential - the potential for e-waste to be recovered as products, components or materials, based on factors such as functionality, repairability, legal compliance and available downstream options.
- product or component recovery - a controlled process that brings functioning products or components back into use for the same or another purpose.
- material recovery - controlled processing of end-of-life products or waste to produce useful material.
- life cycle perspective - consideration of environmental, health and safety aspects across the entire life cycle of a product, including the return of recovered outputs to use or production.
- traceability - the ability to trace the origin, history, application, location or characteristics of a product.
- disposal - final treatment that does not lead to recovery of product, parts, materials or energy.
Who uses EN IEC 63395:2026?
EN IEC 63395:2026 is used by organizations involved in e-waste management, especially those that need a structured way to show how they control collection, sorting, recovery and final treatment. It is also intended for committees that prepare environment-related publications.
Typical users include:
- municipalities and local collection systems
- commercial waste and recycling companies
- reuse organizations, including non-profit and charitable operators
- retailers, dealers and producer responsibility organizations (PROs)
- repair, refurbishment and dismantling workshops
- refiners and re-melting companies
- work integration programs and groups involved in subsistence activities
- quality, environmental, health and safety managers who need a QEHS management system for e-waste
In practice, these users rely on the standard to design collection systems, decide recovery routes, document traceability, control hazardous substances, and set up safe and auditable operations.
Which standards are used with EN IEC 63395:2026?
EN IEC 63395:2026 states that it has no normative references. It does, however, build on several source standards for definitions and management-system concepts.
- ISO 9000:2015 - provides the source for the definitions of organization and record.
- ISO 14001:2015 - provides the source for compliance obligation and documented information.
- ISO 14044:2006 - provides the source for input and output.
- ISO 14050:2020 - provides the source for life cycle perspective.
- ISO 16678:2014 - provides the source for identification.
- ISO 23150:2023 - provides the source for classification.
- ISO 16000-32:2014 - provides the source for pollutant.
- IEC 60050-192:2015 - provides the source for repair.
- IEC 60050-193:2026 - provides several sources, including e-waste, recovery pathway, product or component recovery, material recovery and disposal.
- IEC 60050-904:2014 - provides the source for energy recovery.
What does the EN IEC 63395:2026 document contain?
EN IEC 63395:2026 contains a process-flow view of e-waste management, a table of organizations involved in different process steps, and detailed clause-by-clause requirements for collection, classification, recovery and final treatment. It also contains a methodology for choosing the recovery pathway.
The document includes:
- a process-flow figure showing the e-waste management chain
- a table listing organizations and operators involved in collection, classification, non-destructive processes and destructive material recovery
- decision steps and diagrams in Annex B for assessing product, component and material recovery potential
- requirements for visual inspection, checking, initial functionality tests, sorting, refurbishment, repair, remanufacturing and data destruction
- procedures and checks for depollution, including sampling, target values and limit values
- treatment-route controls for energy recovery and disposal, including routing of hazardous fractions to suitable facilities
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Frequently Asked Questions
EN IEC 63395:2026 is a standard published by CLC. Its full title is "Sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste)". This standard covers: This document specifies requirements and provides guidance for the sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) for all process steps, from collection to returning recovered products, components, materials or energy to the value chain. It includes traceability, monitoring and evaluation of the e-waste flow, recovery rate and recovery quality. This document is intended for use by an organization involved in e-waste management seeking to manage its responsibilities in a systematic manner. The requirements set by this document will help an organization to achieve sustainability outcomes within the context of e-waste management, including: – enhancement of organizations' performance in relation to quality, environment and occupational health and safety; – fulfilment of compliance obligations. This document is applicable to any organization, regardless of its size, type and nature. This document applies to the environmental, health and safety, and quality aspects of e-waste management activities that the organization determines it can either control or influence, from a lifecycle perspective. NOTE 1 Social aspects – e.g. employment creation, conflict minerals, employment conditions – are not addressed directly but indirectly through the benefits of sustainable management of e-waste. NOTE 2 Additional local requirements or regulations can apply. This document is a basic environment horizontal publication focusing on essential requirements and is primarily intended for use by committees in the preparation of publications within the area of environment in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 123. Wherever applicable, it is the responsibility of committees to make use of environment basic publications in the preparation of their environment group and product publications. Committees can apply this document directly to products when they do not develop a product publication in the area of environment.
This document specifies requirements and provides guidance for the sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) for all process steps, from collection to returning recovered products, components, materials or energy to the value chain. It includes traceability, monitoring and evaluation of the e-waste flow, recovery rate and recovery quality. This document is intended for use by an organization involved in e-waste management seeking to manage its responsibilities in a systematic manner. The requirements set by this document will help an organization to achieve sustainability outcomes within the context of e-waste management, including: – enhancement of organizations' performance in relation to quality, environment and occupational health and safety; – fulfilment of compliance obligations. This document is applicable to any organization, regardless of its size, type and nature. This document applies to the environmental, health and safety, and quality aspects of e-waste management activities that the organization determines it can either control or influence, from a lifecycle perspective. NOTE 1 Social aspects – e.g. employment creation, conflict minerals, employment conditions – are not addressed directly but indirectly through the benefits of sustainable management of e-waste. NOTE 2 Additional local requirements or regulations can apply. This document is a basic environment horizontal publication focusing on essential requirements and is primarily intended for use by committees in the preparation of publications within the area of environment in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 123. Wherever applicable, it is the responsibility of committees to make use of environment basic publications in the preparation of their environment group and product publications. Committees can apply this document directly to products when they do not develop a product publication in the area of environment.
EN IEC 63395:2026 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 13.020.01 - Environment and environmental protection in general; 29.100.01 - Components for electrical equipment in general. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.
EN IEC 63395:2026 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2026
Trajnostno ravnanje z odpadno električno in elektronsko opremo (e-odpadki)
Sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste)
Nachhaltige Bewirtschaftung von Elektro- und Elektronikaltgeräten (E-Schrott)
Gestion durable des déchets d'équipements électriques et électroniques (e-déchets)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN IEC 63395:2026
ICS:
13.020.20 Okoljska ekonomija. Environmental economics.
Trajnostnost Sustainability
13.030.30 Posebni odpadki Special wastes
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
EUROPEAN STANDARD EN IEC 63395
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM July 2026
ICS 13.020.01; 29.100.01
English Version
Sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic
equipment (e-waste)
(IEC 63395:2026)
Gestion durable des déchets d'équipements électriques et Nachhaltige Bewirtschaftung von Elektro- und
électroniques (e-déchets) Elektronikaltgeräten (E-Schrott)
(IEC 63395:2026) (IEC 63395:2026)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2026-07-16. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN IEC 63395:2026 E
European foreword
The text of document 111/864/FDIS, future edition 1 of IEC 63395, prepared by TC 111
"Environmental standardization for electrical and electronic products and systems" was submitted to
the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and approved by CENELEC as EN IEC 63395:2026.
The following dates are fixed:
• latest date by which the document has to be implemented at national (dop) 2027-07-31
level by publication of an identical national standard or by endorsement
• latest date by which the national standards conflicting with the (dow) 2029-07-31
document have to be withdrawn
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national committee. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CENELEC website.
Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 63395:2026 was approved by CENELEC as a European
Standard without any modification.
In the official version, for Bibliography, the following notes have to be added for the standard indicated:
ISO 14044:2006 NOTE Approved as EN ISO 14044:2006 (not modified)
ISO 14050:2020 NOTE Approved as EN ISO 14050:2020 (not modified)
ISO 16000-32:2014 NOTE Approved as EN ISO 16000-32:2014 (not modified)
IEC 63395 ®
Edition 1.0 2026-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
HORIZONTAL PUBLICATION
Sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste)
ICS 13.020.01; 29.100.01 ISBN 978-2-8327-1266-5
IEC 63395:2026-06(en)
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Principles for sustainable e-waste management . 12
4.1 Best environmental outcome . 12
4.2 Pollution prevention . 12
4.3 Systems approach . 12
4.4 Precautionary principle . 12
4.5 Lifecycle perspective. 12
4.6 Collaboration and innovation . 13
4.7 Continual improvement . 13
5 Overview e-waste management process flow . 13
6 Requirements supporting the e-waste management system for quality,
environmental, health and safety (QEHS) management . 14
6.1 General . 14
6.2 Support . 14
6.2.1 General. 14
6.2.2 Competencies. 15
6.3 Operational planning and control . 15
6.3.1 Traceability . 15
6.3.2 Monitoring and evaluation of the e-waste flow, recovery rate and
recovery quality . 16
6.3.3 Resource use management . 20
6.3.4 Outsourcing . 20
6.3.5 Site closure plan . 21
6.4 Engagement of subsistence workers . 21
7 Collection and logistics. 21
7.1 Collection system design . 21
7.2 Handling . 21
7.3 Storage . 22
7.4 Transport . 22
8 Identification, classification and deciding the recovery pathway . 23
8.1 Identification . 23
8.2 Classification . 23
8.3 Deciding the recovery pathway. 23
8.3.1 General. 23
8.3.2 Visual inspection . 24
8.3.3 Checking . 24
8.3.4 Initial functionality tests . 25
9 Sorting . 25
10 Product and component recovery . 25
10.1 General . 25
10.1.1 Inspection of incoming e-waste. 25
10.1.2 Packaging, labelling and point of sale information . 26
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
10.1.3 Warranty . 26
10.2 Product recovery through refurbishment . 26
10.2.1 Functional testing . 26
10.2.2 Safety testing . 26
10.2.3 Cleaning . 27
10.2.4 Final tests . 27
10.3 Product recovery through repair . 28
10.3.1 Safety testing before starting the repair process . 28
10.3.2 Identifying faults . 28
10.3.3 Disassembly, fault repair, reassembly . 29
10.3.4 Cleaning . 29
10.3.5 Final tests (re-testing) . 30
10.4 Product and component recovery through remanufacturing . 30
10.4.1 Grading. 30
10.4.2 Disassembly, reworking and reassembly . 30
10.4.3 Final tests (re-testing) . 30
10.5 Component recovery . 31
10.6 Data security . 31
10.6.1 General. 31
10.6.2 Data destruction . 31
11 Material recovery . 31
11.1 Infrastructure, technology and practices . 31
11.2 Dismantling and disassembly . 32
11.3 De-pollution . 32
11.4 Handling of batteries in e-waste . 33
11.5 Monitoring and evaluation of depollution effectiveness . 33
11.5.1 Depollution monitoring and evaluation procedure . 33
11.5.2 Sampling, target values and limit values . 33
11.5.3 Types and frequency of checks . 34
11.6 Material recovery processing . 35
12 Energy recovery . 35
13 Disposal . 35
Annex A (normative) E-Waste management system requirements for Quality,
Environmental, Health and Safety (QEHS) . 37
A.1 General . 37
A.2 Context of the organization . 37
A.2.1 Understanding the organization and its context . 37
A.2.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties . 37
A.2.3 Determining the scope of the QEHS management system . 38
A.2.4 QEHS management system . 39
A.3 Leadership . 39
A.3.1 Leadership and commitment . 39
A.3.2 QEHS policy . 39
A.3.3 Roles, responsibilities and authorities . 40
A.4 Planning . 40
A.4.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities . 40
A.4.2 QEHS objectives and planning to achieve them. 40
A.4.3 Planning of changes . 41
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
A.5 Support . 41
A.5.1 Resources . 41
A.5.2 Competence . 41
A.5.3 Awareness . 41
A.5.4 Communication . 41
A.5.5 Documented information . 42
A.6 Operation. 43
A.6.1 Operational planning and control . 43
A.6.2 Emergency preparedness and response . 43
A.7 Performance evaluation . 43
A.7.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation . 43
A.7.2 Monitoring and measuring equipment . 44
A.7.3 Internal audit . 44
A.7.4 Management review . 45
A.8 Improvement . 45
A.8.1 Continual improvement . 45
A.8.2 Nonconformity and corrective action . 46
Annex B (normative) Methodology for deciding the recovery pathway. 47
B.1 Using the methodology . 47
B.2 Methodological steps and decision diagrams . 48
B.2.1 Step 1 – Assessing the product recovery potential . 48
B.2.2 Step 2 – Assessing the component recovery potential. 49
B.2.3 Step 3 – Assessing the material recovery potential . 50
Bibliography . 51
Figure 1 – E-waste management process flow chart . 13
Figure B.1 – Step 1 – Assessing the product recovery potential. 48
Figure B.2 – Step 2 – Assessing the component recovery potential. 49
Figure B.3 – Step 3 – Assessing the material recovery potential . 50
Table 1 – Organizations and operators . 14
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Sustainable management of waste electrical and electronic equipment
(e-waste)
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as "IEC Publication(s)"). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in
respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, IEC had not received notice of (a) patent(s), which
may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent
the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch. IEC
shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 63395 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 111: Environmental standardization
for electrical and electronic products and systems. It is an International Standard.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
111/864/FDIS 111/894/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
– reconfirmed,
– withdrawn, or
– revised.
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
INTRODUCTION
Electrical and electronic equipment has become a defining and ubiquitous feature of modern
life, which has raised living standards in most of the countries worldwide.
Globally, the slow adoption of sustainable practices for the management of waste electrical and
electronic equipment (e-waste) means that environmental impacts due to, for example, resource
consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and hazardous substance releases continue
unabated.
As a result, many countries face challenges related to considerable environmental and human
health risks caused by inadequately managed e-waste.
This is all the more critical as collection and recovery activities are failing to keep up with total
e-waste generation. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024, less than a quarter of e-
waste generated was officially documented as collected and recycled. Electronic waste
generation is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling.
This document sets out requirements for the sustainable management of e-waste, thereby
contributing to the following objectives:
– protecting human health and safety and the environment;
– maximizing resource circularity through the recovery of e-waste products, components and
materials;
– optimizing the quality of recovered products, components and materials;
– minimizing the quantity of e-waste being disposed of;
– preventing unsustainable and unsafe e-waste recovery and disposal practices;
– preventing or minimizing, or both, pollution and emissions;
– providing a framework for assuring the environmental sustainability of output of product,
component and material recovery operations;
– preventing shipments of e-waste to operators whose activities do not conform with this
document or a comparable set of requirements.
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
1 Scope
This document specifies requirements and provides guidance for the sustainable management
of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) for all process steps, from collection to
returning recovered products, components, materials or energy to the value chain. It includes
traceability, monitoring and evaluation of the e-waste flow, recovery rate and recovery quality.
This document is intended for use by an organization involved in e-waste management seeking
to manage its responsibilities in a systematic manner.
The requirements set by this document will help an organization to achieve sustainability
outcomes within the context of e-waste management, including:
– enhancement of organizations' performance in relation to quality, environment and
occupational health and safety;
– fulfilment of compliance obligations.
This document is applicable to any organization, regardless of its size, type and nature.
This document applies to the environmental, health and safety, and quality aspects of e-waste
management activities that the organization determines it can either control or influence, from
a lifecycle perspective.
NOTE 1 Social aspects – e.g. employment creation, conflict minerals, employment conditions – are not addressed
directly but indirectly through the benefits of sustainable management of e-waste.
NOTE 2 Additional local requirements or regulations can apply.
This document is a basic environment horizontal publication focusing on essential requirements
and is primarily intended for use by committees in the preparation of publications within the
area of environment in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 123. Wherever
applicable, it is the responsibility of committees to make use of environment basic publications
in the preparation of their environment group and product publications. Committees can apply
this document directly to products when they do not develop a product publication in the area
of environment.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
– IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
– ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
3.1
e-waste
WEEE
waste electrical or electronic equipment
electrical or electronic equipment that the holder discards or is required to discard
Note 1 to entry: All components, sub-assemblies and consumables which are part of the equipment at the time the
equipment is discarded, even if not attached to the product when discarded, are also considered as e-waste.
[SOURCE: IEC FDIS 60050-193:2026, 193-04-02, modified – Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.2
hazardous material
material containing one or more hazardous substances
3.3
hazardous substance
substance which can adversely affect human health or the environment with immediate or
retarded effect, either by itself or through interaction with other factors
Note 1 to entry: Hazardous substances are typically identified by international or national regulations.
3.4
organization
person or group of people that has its own functions with responsibilities, authorities and
relationships to achieve its objectives
Note 1 to entry: The concept of organization includes, but is not limited to sole trader, company, corporation, firm,
enterprise, authority, partnership, charity, or institution, or part or combination thereof, whether incorporated or not,
public or private.
[SOURCE ISO 9000:2015, 3.2.1, modified – In Note 1 to entry, the term "association" has been
deleted; Note 2 to entry has been deleted.]
3.5
compliance obligation
legal requirement that an organization must comply with and other requirements that an
organization must or chooses to comply with
Note 1 to entry: Compliance obligations can arise from mandatory requirements, such as applicable laws and
regulations, or voluntary commitments, such as organizational and industry standards, contractual relationships,
codes of practice and agreements with community groups or non-governmental organizations.
[SOURCE: ISO 14001:2015, 3.2.9, modified – The plural form of the term has been changed to
its singular form, the admitted term has been deleted, verbal form "has to" has been changed
to "must", Note 1 to entry has been deleted.]
3.6
record
document stating results achieved or providing evidence of activities performed
Note 1 to entry: Records can be used, for example, to formalize traceability and to provide evidence of verification,
preventive action, and corrective action.
Note 2 to entry: Generally, records need not be under revision control.
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.8.10]
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
3.7
documented information
information required to be controlled and maintained by an organization and the medium on
which it is contained
Note 1 to entry: Documented information can be in any format and media, and from any source.
Note 2 to entry: Documented information can refer to:
– the environmental management system, including related processes;
– information created in order for the organization to operate (can be referred to as documentation);
– evidence of results achieved (can be referred to as records).
[SOURCE: ISO 14001:2015, 3.3.2]
3.8
traceability
ability to trace the origin, history, application,
location or certain characteristics of a product
Note 1 to entry: The term "traceability" is also defined in the context of electrical and electronic measurements (IEV
311-01-15).
Note 2 to entry: When considering a product, traceability can be related to:
– the origin of materials and parts;
– the history of the processing;
– the distribution and localization of products, including their recovery pathways and final disposal of non-
recoverable fractions.
[SOURCE: IEC FDIS 60050-193:2026, 193-01-09, modified – At the end of the definition, "or
material" has been deleted, Note 2 to entry has been added.]
3.9
transboundary movement
movement of e-waste across a national border from one country to another
3.10
recovery pathway
type and sequence of processes applied to recover products, components and materials from
e-waste collected
3.11
recovery potential
potential of e-waste to be recovered as products, components or materials
Note 1 to entry: Criteria used to determine the recovery potential include environmental, social and economic
benefit; functionality, usability and repairability of the e-waste; legal compliance; available recovery technologies;
available downstream recovery organizations or end markets.
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
3.12
product or component recovery
controlled process whereby functioning products or components are recovered from end-of-life
products or waste and are brought back to use for the same or different purpose
Note 1 to entry: Processes for product recovery can include refurbishment, remanufacture and repurposing.
Note 2 to entry: Processes for component recovery can include disassembly, cleaning, and testing.
Note 3 to entry: Recovery of components for subsequent recovery of the materials contained in the components is
considered as material recovery.
Note 4 to entry: Recovery is considered completed when the "criteria for completed recovery" in 6.6.2.2 are fulfilled.
[SOURCE: IEC FDIS 60050:193:2025, 193-04-05, modified – "parts" replaced with
"components", Note 3 to entry and Note 4 to entry has been added]
3.13
material recovery
controlled processing of end-of-life products or waste to produce useful material
Note 1 to entry: Processes for material recovery can include dismantling, depollution, grinding, shredding, milling,
concentration, homogenization, refining, etc. as well as chemical processes excluding chemical recycling of
polymeric waste.
Note 2 to entry: The result of the material recovery is either alternate material or material that will be further
processed in material recycling.
Note 3 to entry: Material recovery results in circular material, i.e. material that can be recovered again.
Note 4 to entry: Recovery of components for subsequent recovery of the materials contained in the components is
considered as material recovery
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-193:2026, 193-04-07, modified – The Figure has been deleted, Note 1
to entry "as well as chemical processes excluding chemical recycling of polymeric waste" has
been added, Note 4 to entry has been replaced with new Note 4 to entry]
3.14
energy recovery
production of useful energy through direct and controlled combustion or other processing of
waste
EXAMPLE Producing hot water, steam and/or electricity are common means for energy recovery.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-904:2014, 904-04-03, modified – Note 1 to entry was transformed into
an example and "Waste incinerators" has been deleted]
3.15
input
product, material or energy flow that enters a process
Note 1 to entry: Products and materials include raw materials, intermediate products and co-products.
[SOURCE: ISO 14044:2006, 3.21, modified – In the definition, term "unit" has been deleted]
3.16
output
product, material or energy flow that leaves a process
Note 1 to entry: Products and materials include raw materials, intermediate products, co-products, and releases.
[SOURCE: ISO 14044:2006, 3.25, modified – In the definition, term "unit" has been deleted]
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
3.17
throughput
total quantity of a product, material or energy flow that passes through a process
Note 1 to entry: Products and materials include raw materials, intermediate products, co-products, and releases.
3.18
identification
process of recognizing the attributes that identify the object
[SOURCE: ISO 16678:2014, 2.1.7]
3.19
classification
attribute-based differentiation
Note 1 to entry: An attribute is defined by a list of enumerators.
[SOURCE: ISO 23150:2023, 3.3.3]
3.20
pollutant
substance which either alone or in combination with other substances or through its products
of degradation or emissions can have a harmful effect on human health or the environment
[SOURCE: ISO 16000-32:2014, 3.7, modified – In the definition, "or can lead to a reduction in
the value or restriction in the use of the building" has been deleted.]
3.21
disposal
final disposal
treatment that does not lead to the recovery of product, parts, materials or energy
[SOURCE: IEC FDIS 60050-193:2026, 193-04-28, modified – term "disposal" is used as
preferred term, the figure has been deleted, the note to entry has been deleted.]
3.22
treatment
any process step that occurs after collection
3.23
life cycle perspective
consideration of the environmental, health and safety aspects relating to a product during its
entire life cycle
Note 1 to entry: The life cycle is considered to be circular and to include the return of recovered products,
components or materials to use or production.
[SOURCE: ISO 14050:2020, 3.6.33, modified – The preferred term "life cycle thinking" and the
abbreviated term "LCT" have been deleted, in the definition, "health and safety aspects" has
been added, Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.24
repair
direct action taken to effect restoration
Note 1 to entry: Repair includes fault localization, fault diagnosis, fault correction and function checkout.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-192:2015, 192-06-14]
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
3.25
refurbishment
refurbishing
reconditioning
industrial process to restore or improve a used product or part within the limits of its original or
predetermined design
Note 1 to entry: Original or predetermined design includes form, functionality, performance and safety aspects.
Note 2 to entry: Refurbishment can extend the remaining lifetime of the product.
Note 3 to entry: The identity of the product or part shall be maintained (e.g. serial or type number).
3.26
remanufacture
remanufacturing
industrial process to create a product by combining different parts from used products and
including, where necessary, new parts
Note 1 to entry: The product must be given a new identity (e.g. serial or type number).
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-193:2026, 193-06-04, modified – "remanufacturing" has been changed
to preferred term, the reference to the figure has been deleted.]
4 Principles for sustainable e-waste management
4.1 Best environmental outcome
This principle aims to deliver the best environmental outcome from a lifecycle perspective,
generally prioritising, waste prevention and extending product life (product and component
recovery) over recycling (material recovery), energy recovery and disposal.
NOTE Resource conservation is integral to the Best environmental outcome.
4.2 Pollution prevention
This principle aims to promote the use of processes, practices, techniques, materials, products,
services or energy that avoid, reduce or control (separately or in combination) the creation,
emission or discharge of any type of pollutant or waste, in order to reduce adverse
environmental impacts.
4.3 Systems approach
This principle aims to promote an approach that fosters understanding how an organization's
activities impact the process flow within the e-waste recovery system and anticipating outcomes
resulting from the behaviour of different organizations within the system.
4.4 Precautionary principle
This principle aims to promote preventive action against the use of practices or substances
identified as potentially harmful in the absence of scientific evidence or certainty.
4.5 Lifecycle perspective
This principle aims to promote the systematic consideration of the environmental impacts of
products over their lifecycle to inform decisions about the sustainable management of e-waste.
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
4.6 Collaboration and innovation
This principle aims to promote the development and implementation of networks and
mechanisms for collaboration that facilitate innovative technologies and practices for the
recovery of resources contained in e-waste.
4.7 Continual improvement
This principle aims to promote an approach to implement recurring activities to continually
enhance organizations' sustainable e-waste management performance.
5 Overview e-waste management process flow
The conceptualization adopted in this document applies circular economy thinking and the best
environmental outcome principle whereby waste prevention and extending product life (product
and component recovery) are generally prioritised over recycling (material recovery), energy
recovery and disposal. This document enables organisations to implement this approach in
practice by using the Methodology for deciding the Recovery Pathway (see 8.3 and Annex B).
Figure 1 illustrates the e-waste management process flow as conceptualized in this document.
Figure 1 – E-waste management process flow chart
Different process steps are not necessarily undertaken at one single location or by one single
organization. The applicable process steps depend on the activities and processes undertaken
by the organization.
Table 1 below shows the range of different organizations that can be involved in the e-waste
management process flow.
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
Table 1 – Organizations and operators
Processes and activities Examples of organizations involved in the processes and activities
Collection – Municipalities;
– Commercial waste and recycling companies;
– Reuse organizations such as non-profit reuse operators, charitable and aid
organizations, community organizations and commercial resellers;
– Waste collection associations or cooperatives;
– Groups and individuals engaged in subsistence activities;
– Retailers;
– Dealers, traders;
– Producer responsibility organizations (PROs).
Classification and sorting These processes occur along the whole value chain and so are conducted by
all types of organizations.
Non-destructive processes – Municipalities;
used for the preparation of
– Commercial resellers;
materials, products or
components for recovery
– Repair organizations;
– Reuse organizations;
– Refurbishing workshops;
– Commercial waste and recycling companies;
– Charitable and aid organizations;
– Community organizations;
– Dismantling workshops;
– Groups and individuals engaged in subsistence activities;
– Work integration programs.
Destructive processes for – Commercial waste and recycling companies
material recovery
– Refining or re-melting companies
This document sets out management system requirements (Clause 6) and operational
requirements in line with the e-waste management process chain (Clause 7 to Clause 13).
6 Requirements supporting the e-waste management system for quality,
environmental, health and safety (QEHS) management
6.1 General
The organization shall establish a managements system in accordance with the general
requirements described in Annex A and the specific e-waste management related requirements
described in 6.2 to 6.4.
The system for e-waste management can be integrated with any existing quality, environmental
or occupational health and safety management system the organization has in place.
The organization's management system boundary shall cover all the organization's e-waste
related activities.
6.2 Support
6.2.1 General
Support actions shall address QEHS. The following additional requirements also apply.
IEC 63395:2026 © IEC 2026
6.2.2 Competencies
The organization shall identify skill and training requirements related to all its QEHS aspects.
Training programmes shall be delivered at a level suitable to the trainee in form, manner and
language.
The organization shall develop and maintain a handbook detailing information about:
– the environmental and human health and safety risks arising from its e-waste management
operations and processes;
– the procedures to minimize these risks;
– the roles and responsibilities of workers in ensuring that these procedures are implemented
correctly;
– the potential consequences of departure from specified procedures.
The handbook shall be available at the workplace and be accessib
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