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The Electronic Waste Recycling Act (SB 20/50),
California, United State
Effective Date: Jan. 1, 2007
• SB 20/50 consists of two major elements:
recycling and restricted substances. The recycling element
is already in effect and requires retailers to collect,
in advance, recycling fees from consumers at the point
of sale for electronic devices covered under the act.
The restricted substance requirements are limited to
the four heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent
chromium) restricted under the EU RoHS Directive. SB
20/50 currently applies only to video display devices
with screens measuring larger than four inches diagonally,
but it is expected to expand in scope to cover the same
products affected by the EU RoHS regulation. Products
covered by SB 20/50 that are prohibited for sale in
the EU under the RoHS Directive cannot be sold in California.
SB 20/50 applies to retail products only, not business-to-business
products. Also, the implementation date for the expanded
provisions may be postponed until 2010.
Article 11 (China RoHS), China
Effective Date: March 1, 2007
• China's directive requires manufacturers
to restrict the use of the same substances targeted
by the EU RoHS directive in certain electronic information
products. Unlike the EU directive, which primarily applies
to producers, China RoHS will affect everyone in the
supply chain: manufacturers, distributors, importers
and retailers. Additionally, China RoHS currently requires
products to be tested by an accredited laboratory in
China before they are allowed entry into the market.
Products that fall under the scope of Article 11 will
be listed in a catalog.
Registration, Evaluation and Authorization
of Chemicals (Reach), European Union
Effective date: spring 2007
• Under this regulation, manufacturers and
importers of chemicals that exceed specified amounts
will be required to gather information on the use of
their substances and register the information in a central
database to demonstrate their safe use. Reach is expected
to gather information on approximately 30,000 chemicals
over the next 11 years. The European Chemicals Agency
will publicly post toxicity data on all covered substances.
Failure to register information will mean the chemical
cannot be manufactured in or imported to the EU market.
The Act for Resource Recycling of Electrical/Electric
Products and Automobiles (Korea RoHS), South Korea
Effective date: July 1, 2007
• This directive promotes recycling and
restricts the use of hazardous substances in electrical
and electronic products and automobiles. Korea RoHS
will require producers to mark products based on hazardous
material content to improve recycling efficiency. Manufacturers
will be responsible for collecting and managing the
material composition data that declares their compliance
to the law. Manufacturers will also be required to show
this information to authorized government officials
on demand.
Directive 2005/32/EC on the Eco-Design of Energy-Using
Products (EuP), European Union
Effective date: Aug. 11, 2007
• EuP encourages manufacturers to produce
products that require less energy throughout their entire
life cycles, including the resources consumed during
manufacturing, packaging, distribution, use, and disposal.
EuP is also designed to provide customers with an “ecological
profile” of electronic products. EuP targets products
that offer “a high potential for cost-effective reduction
of greenhouse gases,” including consumer electronics,
heating products, and external power supplies. Products
covered by the directive must undergo a conformity assessment
in which manufacturers supply technical documentation
to support a declaration of conformity. Manufacturers
may complete this assessment either through internal
design controls or within a management system. After
completing the conformity assessment, manufacturers
must affix the CE Conformity Mark on their products.
As a “framework” directive, EuP currently places no
legal obligations on manufacturers, but EU member states
may adopt mandatory rules in 2007.
Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization
Initiative (JGPSSI), Japan
Effective date: voluntary
• Focusing on “green procurement” of environmentally
friendly parts and materials, this voluntary initiative
standardizes how suppliers report the chemical content
of their components to manufacturers. The ultimate goal
is to reduce the presence of certain chemicals in end
products by encouraging manufacturers to identify and
work with suppliers that meet green procurement guidelines.
The JGPSSI's “Guidelines for Standardization of Material
Declaration” specifies a survey list of 24 chemicals
that must be controlled in suppliers' products as well
as a set of survey response formats for reporting this
information. The JGPSSI is collaborating with industry
groups in the United States and the EU to promote international
standardization of survey lists and response formats.
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