How RoHS Compliant do you Need to be?
The Restriction of Hazardous Substances, or RoHS directive, was established in 2003 by the EU, as a way of restricting certain hazardous substances used in the manufacture of electronic and electrical equipment. It became law in 2006. Even though the RoHS directive covers just 6 substances, it had a tremendous impact on those involved in digital system development and electronic component engineering. Closely allied with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) compliance scheme, it was introduced to cope with the problem of toxic e-waste finding its way into the environment. The restricted substances included lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and diphenyl ethers and oxides. Owing to the wide use of these chemicals in electronics manufacture, the RoHS directive placed severe restrictions on essential materials used by firmware development engineers. These included: PVC leads and USB cables (which use cadmium in their pigmentation) PCB layout finishes (Lead is used in solders, and hexavalent chromium is used for corrosion-resistant treatments). Bulbs and batteries (Mercury is used in backlighting of screens, and projector lamps. Cadmium is used in batteries and photocells.) Glass screens, metal fixings, and flame-retardant finishes (which use polybrominated biphenyls and diphenyl ethers). The good news was that certain hardware was exempt, in particular that concerning medical, monitoring and control applications. These were placed in RoHS directive groups 8 and 9. The bad news is that the exemption only remained valid until 2012 or 2018, depending on the subcategory – though the EU has yet to make this official. The lower date is fast approaching. We at Enventure Technologies can help with all areas of environmental compliance – including REACH EU legislation.
What Does GADSL Mean?
GADSL is the acronym for Global Automotive Declarable Substance List, and like the ELV directive is specific to the motor industry. It was the result of a one-year initiative by the GASG, or Global Automotive Stakeholders Group. The GASG comprises representatives from various areas of the automotive industry, including associated industries. Its purpose is to exchange knowledge and supply information regarding the various materials used in automotive engineering. The GADSL was formatted to clarify the declarable substances used in the automotive industry, lists of which have appeared in recent years owing to new RoHS directives. It was obvious some form of master data management scheme was needed. The GASG therefore set about creating a single, global list with clear, transparent guidelines within a manageable and easily updated framework. The primary reason for a substance to be included in the GADSL list is that it is already under regulatory control (or likely to be in the future), and will be present in the vehicle at point of sale. So, hexavalent chromium present in a corrosion-resistant fastener on the vehicle would be included, but a fastener on a transfer pallet would not. It’s important to realise that just because something is exempt from GADSL rulings doesn’t mean it doesn’t come under some other REACH directive. We at Enventure Technologies realise that for many, GADSL is just another headache to add to the growing list of RoHS directives. We offer a full range of environmental compliance management solutions to help you check, manage and understand your GADSL obligations.
Less Cash, More Trash – The Low-down on High-tech Disposables
RoHS directives like REACH and WEEE legislation were introduced to reduce the use of hazardous materials in electronics manufacture. One reason for this was the growing problem of consumer electronics ending up on landfill sites. Modern technology has made electronics products so cheap and easy to replace that it’s more convenient to throw them away than get them repaired. Indeed, modern technology is often designed to be virtually irreparable; it’s designed to reach its finite lifespan and then expire permanently. The world of electronics commerce is highly competitive, and no commercial manufacturer is going to encourage consumers to repair their gadgets rather than replace them with new ones. In fact, there’s a degree of imposed obsolescence to ensure this doesn’t happen. “New improved” products often lead to components in the older versions becoming obsolete, or incompatible. With modern CAD and PCB design tools, electronics manufacturers are constantly pushing back the boundaries of what is possible. The result is that the rate at which new technology is arriving on the market is roughly proportionate to the rate at which old technology is reaching the landfills. We live in a disposable society. Mobile phones and games consoles are often seen as fashion items, out-of-date as soon as the next “must have” arrives. Consumers today don’t bother recycling their old electronics goods via the free ads – it’s not worth the effort. Ditto repairing peripherals like printers – it’s cheaper to buy a new one. Unfortunately the WEEE directive makes no distinction between technology designed for long-term use, such as clinical monitors, and short-term fads. Luckily, we at Enventure Technologies offer a full range of environmental compliance solutions to handle the challenges of modern REACH compliance.
Does Your Company REACH Compliance?
Electronics components disposed of in landfill sites have been proven to have toxic effects on the environment, releasing their chemicals into the soil where they entered the water supply or food chain. Good environmental compliance management is essential to electronics manufacturing companies today. However, it creates a major headache – especially when you’re working to tight deadlines. Every component purchased must be carefully checked and recorded with respect to the materials it contains, so that at the end of its useful life it can be disposed of or recycled in the correct manner. This is why so many companies turn to the environmental compliance solutions offered by us at Enventure Technologies. We help you collect and manage data relating to the components and parts you buy, so you can comply with REACH regulations. REACH is an acronym for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization & restriction of Chemicals, an EU regulation which came into force in June 2007. Under this umbrella are a number of other regulations specific to the electronics industry, such as RoHS/WEEE compliance. RoHS refers to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, which came into force in July 2006. This places strict, legally enforceable restrictions on the use of 6 hazardous chemicals in electrical and electronic equipment manufacture. The waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, or WEEE directive, is closely linked to this, but places targets on the collection, recovery and recycling of electronic goods. It’s obvious that with the large dependence placed on manufactured electronics goods today, something must be done to reduce the amount of toxic hazardous waste going into landfills.
How Do You REACH Compliance?
REACH is the acronym for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. Set up by the EU in 2006, REACH regulation impacts into every area of electrical and mechanical manufacturing and component engineering. The REACH directive is considered the most complex and important ruling ever to be passed by the EU, though the average engineering company finds it a bit of a pain. However, it was an essential ruling, designed to protect both the environment and public health at a time when unscrupulous companies were wantonly endangering both. Environmental compliance management is totally necessary to the workplace. The REACH directive covers the production, use and disposal of hazardous chemicals, and covers 840 pages in total. Companies face heavy penalties for not complying with REACH EU legislation, which has the most stringent laws ever passed in the world regarding hazardous chemical substances. Say “hazardous chemicals” to people, and they instantly think of toxic waste and chemical plants. But while this is an important area, the majority of substances covered by the REACH directive are far more insidious in their effects – like, for example, brominated flame retardants. Just because a product isn’t directly ingested, doesn’t mean it can’t be harmful. Batteries in landfill sites, for example, are a huge hazard to the environment and human health, discharging toxic chemicals into the soil where they become integrated into the water supply and food chain. Many engineering consumables react in the same way. REACH regulations may be a chore, but they’re essential. If you are struggling to become REACH directive compliant, remember – we at Enterprise Technologies offer a full range of environmental compliance services.
RoHS, WEEE and how it relates to PCB design
Environmental compliance is essential in all areas of engineering these days, and that includes the manufacture of printed circuit boards. With complicated RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) rules now governing everything from torch batteries to obsolete semiconductors, component engineering is no longer a simple matter of sitting down and doing the job. Engineering companies large and small find themselves buried under reams of bureaucratic paperwork – with heavy penalties if they trip up. Environmental compliance is defined as performing your job without harming the environment in or around your workplace. However, this is generally extended this to include the national and international directives as laid down by government and environmental bodies, such as RoHS/ WEEE directives. The RoHS directive was set up by the EU in 2006, in line with Waste and Electrical Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation which ruled that companies producing electrical and electronic components, such as printed circuit boards, must take responsibility for the disposal and recycling of their products. Related components, such as obsolete semiconductors, were also included. RoHS/WEEE compliance are largely interchangeable. However, whereas RoHS compliance governs disposal and recycling of electronic products, the WEEE directive also covers their manufacture, ensuring electronic and electrical products entering or being sold in the EU are free of hazardous chemicals. Because PCB designers often use recycled products to create new printed circuit boards, WEEE is usually considered part of RoHS. With so much complex red tape, many small engineering companies have turned to us at Enventure Technologies for help. We offer a range of environmental compliance solutions, including issues raised by RoHS and WEEE legislation.
What is the WEEE Directive?
At Enventure, as part of our environmental compliance services, we can ensure that your organization meets the WEEE directive, which will help you avoid any costs associated with non-compliance as well ensuring that you reach compliance expediently. But what exactly is the WEEE directive, and how can we help you meet the challenge of WEEE compliance? The WEEE legislation – or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Legislation – is legislation that has been devised in order to ensure that the waste associated with electrical and electronic equipment is not only handled correctly but actively reduced, through a proper recycling strategy. WEEE directive compliance isn’t just an arbitrary legal requirement therefore, but has a clear goal. Meeting WEEE compliance is not just a legal issue, but has an ethical dimension. With this in mind, it is doubly important that your organization meets WEEE compliance effectively – which is where our environmental compliance services can help. One of the key challenges with environmental compliance is one of complexity of data, and therefore as part of our WEEE compliance services we offer a consultation solution, which will help you to identify exactly what wee compliance means for your business, and get you well on your way to reaching regulations. We will also help you to manage information relating to WEEE compliance in relation to your operations, which is essential in giving manufacturers a substance level knowledge of their production lines relating to compliance – which will help them to identify better and more effective ways to reach WEEE compliance in the long term. Whilst WEEE compliance can be complex, with the right consultation strategy and approach, successful WEEE compliance cannot only be easy but cost effective, too.
Meeting the Need for Environmental Compliance
In the modern context environmental compliance isn’t just a moral issue, but a legal one, and ensuring that your company is compliant with environmental regulations is imperative. This is why choosing Enventure for your environmental compliance services could be one of the best decisions you could ever make, and could save your organization a lot of hassle down the line. But why exactly should you choose Enventure’s environmental compliance solutions? One of the big pressures on organizations is ensuring that they meet the ever-changing demands of regulation which, if not adhered to, can lead to serious fines or worse. Environmental compliance – especially nowadays – is particularly steeped in regulations, which is why its makes good business sense to choose Enventure and our environmental compliance services. Whilst compliance to environmental issues is a legal issue, and one that all organizations have to engage in, it can still be particularly cost heavy. This is why choosing a company that streamlines the environmental compliance management process could really save you on costs down the line. Alongside costs you will find that regulations might differ across territories, which has obvious implications in regards to the efficiency of reaching compliance. At Enventure, we are expert at achieving compliance across geographies, which means there is no wasted time and effort spent achieving compliance over different countries. So, whilst environmental compliance is more taxing than it has ever been, this doesn’t mean you need to waste time and money navigating through the mire of environmental rules and regulations. Why not instead let us at Enventure take care of things for your business.
Could an environmental compliance service cut your costs?
These days reducing the cost of business may be crucial for your firm. The credit crunch and ongoing economic problems it caused mean your enterprise may be in danger of failure, if you do not reign in your spending. One way in which this process can be furthered is by opting for an environmental compliance service. These products enable you to get through the tough process of conforming to standards in the area without investing too much cash and time. Such cost reduction services allow you to get guidance from experts in the field. And bringing in this knowledge may well be necessary given the complicated nature of regulations around the globe. The motivation behind such laws is to achieve a new era of sustainable development that protects the environment. Among the most potentially problematic areas for your firm could be the fact that you have to prove you have exercised due diligence when declaring your products as compliant. This involves developing and maintaining an audit trail that can be verified by an enforcement agency if and when this is required and this can be a time-consuming process. By employing environmental compliance solutions, your enterprise can acquire and consolidate data from manufacturers more easily in order to confirm information concerning the material composition of items. Environmental compliance could help you and your company in a number of ways. As well as reducing the cost of conforming to the law, it could ensure you achieve the standards required across different parts of the world.
Proof of WEEE compliance is required
If your business uses, produces or distributes electrical and electronic equipment, you are subject to certain environmental compliance rules. Firstly, you must be registered with a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) compliance scheme. This is under the terms of WEEE legislation, set in a bid to encourage recycling and cut down on waste. For example, if your enterprise uses such products, you must store, collect, treat, recycle and dispose of WEEE separately from your other waste. In addition, you must obtain and keep proof that such products were given to a waste management firm and were treated and disposed of in an eco-friendly manner. Meanwhile, if your business is involved in the importing or re-branding of such goods, you must mark your products with a crossed-out wheeled bin symbol and your unique producer identification sign. In addition, under environmental compliance regulations, you must provide information to your compliance scheme every three months concerning the amount of equipment you place on the market. Meanwhile, another aspect of WEEE compliance is that you have to make information available to operators of treatment and reprocessing facilities about new products you sell. The regulations are designed to help protect the environment by reducing waste and conserving resources. By making sure your firm does its bit to help the planet, you will not only stay on the right side of the law, but you may also attract more customers – as people are becoming more conscious of the importance of ethical issues such as this. Our environmental compliance solutions can help to ensure that your company has green credentials.