An ESPR and EU Battery Regulation umbrella actor category covering market roles such as manufacturer, importer, distributor, dealer, and fulfilment service provider.
Economic operator is the umbrella actor category that groups several market roles before a rule assigns responsibility more specifically. It matters because DPP, product, and battery obligations often start with this broad category and then depend on whether the actor is the manufacturer, importer, distributor, dealer, or another covered role.
ESPR Article 2, point 46 lists manufacturer, authorised representative, importer, distributor, dealer, and fulfilment service provider. The EU Battery Regulation uses a broader battery-specific definition that also reaches actors subject to obligations for battery lifecycle activities. Keep the source-specific scope visible instead of treating the definitions as interchangeable. ELV source context: EU and UK end-of-life vehicle rules use this term inside vehicle waste, treatment, dismantling, reuse, recycling, recovery, disposal, and certificate workflows. For auto customers, connect the term to vehicle identity, authorised treatment facility records, certificate evidence, and downstream material routes. Türkiye ELV context: the Turkish regulation uses official Turkish terms for ELV, temporary storage area, treatment, treatment facility, dismantling information, recycler/recovery/disposal concepts, and producer/economic-operator roles. Treat the Turkish official definition as authoritative; English translations are draft aids only.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products
the manufacturer, the authorised representative, the importer, the distributor, the dealer and the fulfilment service provider;
Reference: Article 2, point 46
Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries
the manufacturer, the authorised representative, the importer, the distributor or the fulfilment service provider or any other natural or legal person who is subject to obligations in relation to the manufacture, preparation for re-use, preparation for repurposing, repurposing or remanufacturing of batteries, the making available or the placing of batteries on the market, including online, or the putting of batteries into service in accordance with this Regulation;
Reference: Article 3, point 22
Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of life vehicles
producers, distributors, collectors, motor vehicle insurance companies, dismantlers, shredders, recoverers, recyclers and other treatment operators of end-of life vehicles, including their components and materials
Reference: Article 2, point 10
Ömrünü Tamamlamış Araçların Kontrolü Hakkında Yönetmelik
Araçların ve bunların parça ve malzemelerinin üretici, dağıtıcı ve ithalatçıları ile ömrünü tamamlamış araçların toplama, sökme, kesme, parçalama, geri kazanma, geri dönüştürme işlemlerinden herhangi birini yapanları
Reference: Madde 4
Under ESPR, economic operator means the manufacturer, authorised representative, importer, distributor, dealer, and fulfilment service provider. The EU Battery Regulation uses a related but battery-specific formulation. It is an umbrella actor category, not a single operational role.
Implementation records should capture the operator identifier, actor role, source regulation, role-specific obligation, market action, product or battery link, documentation duty, and relationship to manufacturer, importer, distributor, dealer, or other covered roles.
Economic operator is an actor-role umbrella control: the evidence consequence is that broad obligations can be mapped to a parent actor class before source-specific rules assign documentation, access, and responsibility duties to particular roles.
EU product regulation uses a layered actor model: manufacturer → authorised representative → importer → distributor → economic operator (umbrella). Each actor in this chain has different obligations, and the applicable obligations depend on which regulation is in play. A company should determine its actor status independently under each applicable regulation, as the same entity can be a manufacturer under one regulation and a distributor under another.