Environment and Disposal

1. Batteries and Rechargeable Batteries

Some products we sell contain batteries or built-in rechargeable batteries. Under the EU Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and the German Battery Act (BattDG), we are required to inform you of the following.

Batteries must not be disposed of with household waste. As an end user, you are legally obliged to return used batteries so that they can be properly recycled.

You may return used batteries free of charge at the following address, or send them to us with sufficient postage prepaid:

HOUSE OF KONZEPT GmbH
Am Sand 2
91757 Treuchtlingen
Germany

Our take-back obligation is limited to those types of batteries that we carry, or have carried, as new batteries in our range.

Batteries are marked with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol. Where a battery contains more than 0.0005 percent mercury, more than 0.002 percent cadmium or more than 0.004 percent lead by mass, the chemical symbol of the relevant substance appears below the symbol: Hg for mercury, Cd for cadmium, Pb for lead.

Note on lithium batteries: when returning lithium batteries or rechargeable batteries, please insulate the contacts marked + and -, for example with adhesive tape, to avoid any risk of fire.

2. Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Electrical and electronic equipment, including lamps, light sources and luminaires, must not be disposed of with unsorted municipal waste. Equipment covered by this requirement is marked with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol on the product or its packaging.

Owners of waste electrical and electronic equipment are legally required to collect it separately from unsorted municipal waste. Disposal via residual waste bins or lightweight packaging collection is not permitted. Waste equipment can be handed in free of charge at municipal collection points and recycling centres.

Before handing in waste equipment, you are required to remove any batteries and rechargeable batteries that are not enclosed by the device, and to dispose of them separately. You are responsible for deleting any personal data stored on devices before disposal.

3. Packaging Compliance

Orders are dispatched either from our own facilities or directly from the respective brand or manufacturer. Where an order is dispatched directly by a brand or manufacturer, the packaging used is provided by that party, and responsibility for that packaging, including any registration or licensing obligations attached to it, lies with the dispatching party. We select our fulfilment routes accordingly. The shipping materials we use ourselves are sourced in Germany and are supplied unbranded and unprinted. Where products are delivered on pallets, the same applies to the pallet and any associated securing materials. Transport packaging, outer packaging and pallets can be returned to us free of charge. Please contact us to arrange a return.

4. Environmental Market Availability

We deliver to selected destinations. The selection of a country during checkout does not in itself confirm that delivery to that destination is possible. Where we are unable to fulfil an order for the destination selected, we will contact you and, where appropriate, offer an alternative. If the order cannot be fulfilled, it will be cancelled and any amount already paid will be refunded in full without undue delay. Where an order is placed for delivery to a forwarding or reshipping service, we may be unable to fulfil it and will contact you accordingly. 

5. Broken Lamps and Light Sources

Compact fluorescent lamps, fluorescent tubes and metal halide lamps contain a very small quantity of mercury. Under normal use these lamps are harmless. If such a lamp breaks, please proceed as follows.

Disconnect the lamp from the power supply. Avoid skin contact and ventilate the room for 20 to 30 minutes. Wear disposable or household gloves when collecting the fragments, and sweep them up rather than using a vacuum cleaner where possible. Use a damp disposable cloth to pick up small pieces and dust. On carpet, use a vacuum cleaner and dispose of the bag afterwards. Collect all fragments and remains in a sealable container, such as a screw-top jar or plastic bag, and take the sealed container to a local collection point.

To reduce the risk of breakage: only change a light source once it has cooled completely, always hold it by the base rather than the glass bulb or tube, unpack new lamps immediately before use, and store them in secure packaging until they are used or disposed of.