Batteries and Canon’s Environmental Goals

The European Union (EU) has issued a directive on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators (2006/66/EC). The directive aims to reduce the environmental impact of batteries and to increase the recycling of waste batteries and accumulators.
The directive will come into force in September 2008. At present, many member states are still in the process of transposing the directive into national laws for local enforcement.
Canon, as a producer or importer of batteries, is required to set up recycling systems for waste batteries and accumulators either on an individual or collective basis in each member state to provide for the recovery of waste batteries and accumulators.
Canon is actively working with local organisations and associations to ensure that recycling systems are in place in each member state as required by local legislation. The existence of local legislation is a pre-requisite for the setting up of and registration with recycling schemes for batteries and accumulators.

EU Batteries directive
For the European Union and EEA only

This symbol indicates that the batteries and accumulators used in this product are to be disposed of separately from your household waste in accordance with EU Directive 2006/66/EC (“Directive”) and local requirements.

If a chemical symbol is printed beneath the symbol shown above, in accordance with the Directive, this indicates that a heavy metal (Hg = Mercury, Cd = Cadmium, Pb = Lead) is present in this battery or accumulator at a concentration above an applicable threshold specified in the Directive.

Batteries and accumulators must not be disposed of as unsorted municipal waste. Users of batteries and accumulators must use the available collection framework for the return, recycling and treatment of batteries and accumulators.

If your Canon product contains non-removable batteries, the entire product is already covered by the EU WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive and should be handed over to an authorised collection site for WEEE. The collection site will then take the appropriate measures for the recycling and treatment of the product, including the batteries.

Customer participation in the collection and recycling of batteries and accumulators is important to minimise any potential effects of batteries and accumulators on the environment and human health due to substances used in batteries and accumulators.

In the EU, there are separate collection and recycling schemes for batteries and accumulators. To find out more about recycling schemes for batteries and accumulators available in your area, please contact your local city office, waste authority or waste disposal facility.

Environmental Activities