stiftung elektro-altgeräte register

What stiftung elektro-altgeräte register does

Stiftung elektro-altgeräte register (stiftung ear) is a German foundation established in 2004 and headquartered in Nürnberg/Fürth, Bayern, operating as the government-appointed authority for implementing the German Law on Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ElektroG) and the Batteries Law (Batteriegesetz). It was designated by the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) as the joint enterprise of manufacturers (Gemeinsame Stelle der Hersteller) and is supervised by the Government of Mittelfranken. With 13 employees and a lean executive team led by Alexander Goldberg (Head), Dr. Andrea Menz (Chief Representative / Legal), Markus Gascha (IT-Processes and Systems), and Christian Börner (Commercial Administration), stiftung ear administers the mandatory registration, reporting, and waste-pick-up coordination functions that any manufacturer, importer, distributor, authorised representative, first-treatment operator, or municipal waste authority must transact with to legally participate in the German electrical-equipment and battery market.

Name

stiftung elektro-altgeräte register

Legal name

stiftung elektro-altgeräte register

Website

https://stiftung-ear.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

E-Waste Regulatory Compliance Services

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Certified Compliance & Reporting Services (R2/e-Stewards, Audit, ESG) (BPALAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Waste & Hazardous Materials Management (incl. HazMat) (BPAHAJAK), ISO 14001 Gap Assessment & Readiness (EUAHAIAA)

Keywords

• WEEE registration services
• Battery producer registration
• E-waste compliance management
• Producer responsibility systems
• Electronic equipment regulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nürnberg, Bayern

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

stiftung ear operates as the German government-appointed registering body under ElektroG and the Batteries Law, providing a centralized digital platform (ear-Portal) for manufacturers, importers, and authorised representatives to register electrical/electronic equipment and batteries before placing them on the German market. It coordinates pick-up of waste equipment from municipal collection sites, manages insolvency-safe guarantee systems for b2c equipment, approves producer responsibility organisations for battery take-back, and maintains public directories of registered market participants.

Product overview

stiftung elektro-altgeräte register (stiftung ear) operates as a government-appointed authority implementing ElektroG and Batteries Law in Germany. The core offering is the ear-Portal, a unified online platform that provides WEEE and battery registration services, pick-up coordination for waste equipment, and administrative management tools. Supporting the portal are integration interfaces (SOAP and REST web services) for automated data exchange, along with specialized tools including the Guarantee Calculator, Device Allocation Tool, and Battery Allocation Tool. The organization also maintains public directories of registered producers and operators. The Plan E consumer initiative educates the public on proper e-waste disposal. Digital certificates service enables secure S/MIME email communication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PlanE: Consumer initiative brand for educating consumers about correct disposal of electronic waste

Products and services

• ear-Portal Central digital portal for managing manufacturer registrations, submitting annual statistics, coordinating waste equipment pick-ups, and handling all administrative procedures under ElektroG and BattG. Targeted at manufacturers, authorised representatives, distributors, public waste disposal authorities, and disposal companies.
• WEEE Registration (WEEE-Registrierung) Mandatory registration service for manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment who wish to place products on the German market under ElektroG.
• Battery Registration (Batterieregistrierung) Mandatory registration service for manufacturers and importers of batteries (portable, SLI, EV, industrial, LMT) placing batteries on the German market under Batteries Law (Batterierecht).
• Pick-up Coordination (Abholkoordination) Coordination service for collecting waste electrical and electronic equipment from public waste disposal authorities and municipalities and routing it to producers' take-back systems.
• Guarantee Calculator (Garantierechner) Calculator tool to determine the guarantee amounts required for insolvency-safe guarantees for b2c equipment manufacturers as part of registration compliance.
• Device Allocation Tool (Gerätezuordnung) Interactive tool that helps manufacturers determine which of the five equipment types a product belongs to for WEEE registration purposes.
• Battery Allocation Tool (Batteriezuordnung) Interactive tool that helps producers determine which battery category (portable, SLI, EV, industrial, LMT) their product belongs to for Batteries Law registration.
• Public Directories (Verzeichnisse) Publicly accessible registers of registered producers, authorised representatives, operators of first treatment facilities, approved producer responsibility organisations, and pick-up coordination status.
• Digital Certificates (Digitale Zertifikate) S/MIME-based email encryption and digital signature services enabling secure electronic communication between market participants and stiftung ear.
• Plan E Consumer Initiative Consumer-facing initiative under the stiftung ear brand that educates the public on correct disposal of electronic waste (e-schrott-entsorgen.org).

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Umweltbundesamt (UBA): Federal Environment Agency that appointed and functionally supervises stiftung ear; comparable as a federal public authority administering environmental quality programmes in Germany.
• European WEEE Registers Network (EWRN): Network of national WEEE producer registers including stiftung ear; comparable as a coordinating body for harmonised European WEEE compliance reporting and standards.

Emerging players

• Landbell Group: European WEEE and packaging compliance services provider active in Germany, offering commercial alternatives to direct registration through stiftung ear and adjacent authorities.

Others

• ecologic Institute: European environmental policy think tank working on WEEE, battery, and circular-economy regulation that shapes the legal framework stiftung ear implements.
• BDEW (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft): German energy and water industry association engaged in WEEE and battery policy dialogue; adjacent because its members interact with stiftung ear's registration and reporting processes.

Direct peers

• WEEE Ireland: Statutorily appointed Irish WEEE compliance scheme operator, fulfilling an equivalent role to stiftung ear for Irish producers, distributors, and treatment operators.
• Recupel: Belgian producer responsibility organisation appointed to manage WEEE take-back and registration obligations, directly analogous to stiftung ear's mandate under ElektroG but for the Belgian market.
• RENE AG: German take-back system operator for electrical and electronic equipment, functioning as a producer responsibility organisation that interfaces directly with stiftung ear.
• Take-e-back GmbH: German commercial WEEE/battery compliance service provider and authorised representative, operating in the same regulatory ecosystem that stiftung ear administers.
• Stiftung GRS Batterien: German collective take-back system for used batteries under BattG, the battery-law counterpart whose registrations and OfH operations stiftung ear coordinates and oversees.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFl5Jeo8GwgHrqQ9bVZ5nmg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftungear

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about stiftung elektro-altgeräte register