EU steps up mandated end-of-PLM; impact on U.S. not clear
Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 12/1/2003 12:00:00 AM
Global manufacturers wanting to do business in the European Union (EU) must increasingly address end of product life, based on two directives that became effective February 2003.
The Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and the Reduction of Hazard Substances (RoHS) directives require EU member states to put in place and enforce collection programs for products ranging from toys and toasters to hair dryers, cell phones, stereos, computers, smoke detectors, and white good appliances. The directives mandate compliance with target objectives and the shifting of the burden to manufacturers to support free take-back programs by Aug. 13, 2005.
Impact of the RoHS directive on product design is expected to be universal as, given EU size, manufacturers are likely to adopt any changes on a global basis. The extent to which the WEEE directive will have widespread impact outside of the EU is less certain. For example, mandated packaging producer responsibility, enacted earlier in the EU, had little ripple effect in terms of initiating a similar program within the U.S. market.
The new regulations—meant to eliminate unsorted disposal in municipal landfills, improve the environment, and foster trade free of prohibitive product tariffs—have broad implications for extended producer responsibility and ultimately for product design—favoring repair, reuse, disassembly, and recycling—and the elimination of toxic elements, including lead solders, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and brominated flame retardants.
According to Intel, 90 percent of all electronic components today contain lead, mainly from solder. Finding viable alternatives is a significant issue for product reliability, energy consumption, and cost.
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