Jun 15 - Don't Let RoHS Intimidate You--The Laws Are Going to Get Tougher
Purchasing.com reports that for those global manufacturers that think RoHS is tough to comply with, they’ve got another thing coming: a future tidal wave of more and more stringent environmental legislation. The article quotes Jackie Adams of IBM as saying, “China's regulations are going to be tougher than the EU's and Korea's will probably be tougher than China's." The European Union was the first to pass a Restriction of the use of Certain Hazardous Substances (ROHS) policy. Since its inception in 2003, manufacturers have been dragging their feet about becoming RoHS compliant all the while the EU has been working on REACH, and even stricter policy on manufacturer’s use of chemicals.
For the past two years, most electronics companies have been working diligently to comply with the July 1 deadline of the European Union's (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) law that prohibits the use of lead and five other substances in electronics equipment.
The good news is most large OEMs and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers say they are in compliance with the law and have the necessary documentation to prove it. The bad news is any buyer who thinks RoHS compliance is the endgame of environmental regulation is sadly mistaken. Other countries have passed, or are considering environmental laws regulating hazardous materials in electronics equipment, including China, Korea, Japan, Argentina and other South American countries.
And if you think electronics is the only technology covered by new environmental initiatives, think again.
Effective Jan 1, 2007, manufacturers of covered electronics under SB 20 will be required to follow similar RoHS provisions. CAW is currently sponsoring AB 2202 (Saldana), which will expand California’s current phase out provision to virtually all electronic devices. AB 2202 is tentatively scheduled to be heard next in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on June 19th at 1:30.
What you can do:
• Send an e-mail to your Legislator asking for his/her support on this measure
• Send an AB 2202 support letter on behalf of your organization