« June 2011 | Main | August 2011 »
One of the most debated topics in respect of the REACH Regulation (1907/2006) is that of Substances in Articles.
Most of the commonly used objects in private households and industries are articles, for example, furniture, clothes, vehicles, books, toys and electronic equipment. An article may be very simple, like a wooden chair, but it could also be rather complex, like a laptop computer.
The new RoHS Directive was published this morning (1 July 2011) in the Official Journal (OJ) of the European Union.
The UK Government (Department of Business Innovation and Skills) expects the future transposition timetable to look as follows:
Directive entry into force - 21 July 2011 (20 days after publication)
UK Consultation - Autumn / Winter 2011
New UK Regulations published - October / November 2012
UK RoHS Guidance - October / November 2012
Transposition deadline and UK Regulations enter into force - 2 January 2013
Directive Decoder
0.1% by weight of article (as now) or 0.1% by weight of component (9 Member States prefer this).
A hot REACH topic in the coming months I suspect.
What do you think?
Directive Decoder
453/2010 sets out enhanced requirements for the content of Safety Data Sheets or SDS.
Information under 16 headings must now be include, click on the link below:
Directive Decoder
The CE mark implications associated with the RoHS recast are already causing industry some concern.
Most popular question at the minute is when they are implemented....is it July 21st (20 days after published in the Official Journal of the European Union) or in 18 months time when transposed into national law?
The Canadian Government has required manufacturers and importers to provide information on the presence of DEHP and BPA since 2008.
The information is required for all types of medical devices including electrical and non-electrical equipment. Information on DEHP is required if it is used in the product at a concentration of greater than 0.1% of the equipment (not homogeneous material as with the RoHS Directive). Information on BPA is required for any amount so is needed even if traces are present. However, this is only required if the equipment comes into physical contact with patients or fluids such as for blood transfusions and drips.
Continue reading "Canadian obligations - more requests on UK" »
An early reminder for your diary.
The "Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Environment" conference 2011, hosted by ERA Technology will take place at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel in Heathrow on 16 and 17 November 2011.
This is, in my opinion, the best conference of its type in our industry with many expert speakers covering the subjects that matter.
Agenda and booking details to follow.
Directive Decoder
New e-waste rules shall come into effect from 1 May 2012.
Below is an exclusive summary of Indian WEEE and RoHS highlighting the differences between the proposed India scope and that of the EU.
Directive Decoder
RoHS Recast 2011/65/EU becomes law today.
Attached is a guide to the recast from respected organisation Orgalime.
Directive Decoder
Six more substances have been added to the REACH Registry of Intentions.
This brings the number of Annex XV dossiers expected on 1 August for new SVHC to 19.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will publish these around a month later and at that point a 45 day consultation period will start allowing interested parties to submit their comments.
With progress on SVHC slow then a further 19 towards the end of the year would provide a welcome boost.
Directive Decoder
6 new substances were added to the European Chemicals Agency Registry of Intentions during July.
Attached below, courtesy of ERA Technology, is a review of thier uses in electronics.
Directive Decoder
It seems like a lifetime ago that ERA reviewed categories 8 and 9 and put forward their proposals around which products should fall within scope and the supporting exemptions.
With the recast becoming law on 21 July and set to enter into force on 2 January 2013, manufacturers need to start thinking about producing RoHS compliant products.
2006 shows us that there were market share gains to be had.
Follow the link for a list of indicative products;
Directive Decoder
On November 15, 2010, President Obama issued a presidential proclamation on electronics recycling, announcing that he was creating an Interagency Task Force of agencies within the federal government "to prepare a national strategy for responsible electronics stewardship, including improvements to Federal procedures for managing electronic products." He also said he wanted "to ensure the Federal Government leads as a responsible consumer." Publication of the Task Force Report has been delayed twice. Currently it's expected to be released in Summer 2011. The US administration seems willing to support major changes. We will have to see how the proposed bill fares and what this committee recommends.
Directive Decoder
This page contains all entries posted to Directive Decoder in July 2011. They are listed from oldest to newest.
June 2011 is the previous archive.
August 2011 is the next archive.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
