...Relatively few manufacturing companies have yet adopted a policy of Design for Sustainability, but design engineers often feel that they have a moral obligation to take environmental and socio-cultural issues into account when developing products. In this interview with Jon Severn, Alastair Fuad-Luke explains how design engineers can make a bigger difference than they might have thought possible.... more...

...A joint study conducted by E-Certa Inc. and Sanmina-SCI shows it's possible to re-use lead- (Pb) containing parts by converting them to Pb-free for use in consumer-grade electronics. E-Certa has also released an information series based on the joint study that answers many questions posed by OEMs and engineers after the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive imposed a new standard for product design by restricting the use of several materials including lead.... more...

...Chances are, you're not ready to compost in the office kitchen or turn off all the lights. "Greening" your computing equipment, though, is a low-risk way for your business to not only help the environment but also reduce costs. It's also one of the hottest trends in business today. "You want to be seen as a leader and not a laggard," says Nik Kaestner, the founder of Green Squared Consulting, which advises companies on being environmentally aware.... more...

...With the RoHS directive in place, the demand for advice and solutions is increasing dramatically. To give the European electronic industry answers to the problems caused by implementing lead free processes, IPC and JEDEC are holding an International Lead Free Conference, 4-5 October 2007 in Berlin, Germany.... more...

...Unregistered producers of electrical and electronic equipment could be getting a call from the Environment Agency as it continues to raise awareness of the WEEE Regulations. Liz Parkes, Head of Waste at the Environment Agency, said: "Since 1 July, under the new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, separately collected waste electrical and electronic equipment has to be treated and recycled with the producers paying the cost.... more...

...Free catalogue is organised by package type and category with each product accompanied by drawings, description, part number with special attention to lead-free availability and formulations. Dummy component specialist Practical Components has published its latest catalogue designed to help engineers quickly find the key products needed to qualify their technology, train and grow their business.... more...

...The Electrical and Electronics Institute has announced that Thailand will soon draw up its own directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) to minimise their impact on the environment. At long last, Thailand is shaking off its complacency and doing something about the looming threat to its environment posed by the accumulation of huge amounts of hi-tech waste... more...

...China's Ministry of Information Industry and Pony Lab for Physical and Chemical Analysis jointly held the Shanghai Environment Dictate Seminar 2007 at Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center, introducing the environment orders and regulations of China and other countries as well as the latest information about the control of poisonous and harmful substance to electronics manufacturers in Shanghai.... more...

...Got issues with solder? You’re not alone. Thanks to the anti-lead rules of EU RoHS and the many environmental compliance regulations that have since followed, many members of the electronics supply chain do. But there’s help on the way. The IPC is taking on solder with a new research program announced Thursday.... more...

...A revised guidance documents covering implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations has been published by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).... more...

...Greenpeace activists knocked on the door of the Ministry of Information Technology, presenting it with a giant art installation of the globe in the clutches of hazardous e-waste - a reminder of the enormity of the e-waste challenge. With a solution-oriented approach, Greenpeace presented the Ministry a report titled ‘Extended Producer Responsibility in a non-OECD context (1). New regulatory legislation that is based on EPR will nip the growing e-waste crisis in the bud. EPR (2) is a principle that makes brand owners responsible for the entire life cycle of their products, while fostering the ability of Indian IT industries to compete globally.... more...

...E-Certa, Inc. has released a new media information series based on a joint study with Sanmina SCI. This answers many questions that OEM’s and electronic industry engineers have had after RoHS regulations introduced a new standard for product design.... more...

...Toy maker Mattel has forced discussion among many members of the supply chain this week as to the risk of working with and in China. Mattel, which recalled 250,000 Chinese-made toy cars in the United States because of unacceptable levels of lead-based paint this week, is hardly the first company to be slammed with recalls and bad press because of consumer product from China and it won’t be the last. While the issues with China-made electronics span the entire supply chain gamut - from design, to manufacturing, to assuring against counterfeiting and IP theft (perhaps the biggest issues), to shipping truly RoHS - compliant end product - it's a market that can’t be ignored as it has been a source of huge financial gain and expansion for many companies in the supply chain in recent years.... more...

...Seminar in Cleveland, Ohio on October 31, 2007. In compliance with global RoHS and in an effort to maximize productivity and lower cost, Dr. Hwang leverages on the confluence of in-depth knowledge and real-world experiences to address lead-free reliability. Join your industry colleagues to hear the true authority and pioneer in lead-free development and implementation.... more...

...Seiko Instruments Inc., subsidiary of SII NanoTechnology Inc., developed a reportedly simple and precise method to analyze 13 different types of metals - including silver and cadmium - in solder with one test, a technique it hopes to put to use in developing new lead-free solders that meet the EU's stringent RoHS directives, reports the Nikkei Business Daily.... more...

...Before you rush to stop using some allegedly dangerous product, you had better make darned sure that your substitute isn’t worse. In Europe, regulations forbid the use of lead in solders. This has led manufacturers of electronic gear to switch from a lead-tin alloy to pure tin or a tin-silver-copper solder. So? The "so" is that the new solders, especially under vibration or extreme temperature cycles, can grow "whiskers" of tin... more...

...Sony has declared to the US today that 75 recycling stations around the country will accept Sony products for free, meaning that US gamers will be able to hand back their old walkmans and original PlayStations, knowing they will get a second life and they’re doing their bit for the environment.... more...

...Arrangements for collecting waste electrical and electronic equipment in Yorkshire have been finalised under the terms of the WEEE Regulations. Hampshire has also confirmed its arrangements for WEEE collection under the producer responsibility regulations.... more...

...The amount of power consumed by data centers doubled from 2000 to 2005, according to Jonathan Koomey, consulting professor at Stanford University. By the end of 2005, data centers were consuming approximately 1.2% of all U.S. electricity.... more...

...Because of the many RoHS, REACH, and Pb-free challenges facing the electronics industry today, Innov-X offers the most complete range of handheld to benchtop XRF instruments. Learn how using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) to screen components, parts and PCB’s will help with compliance for the growing demands of international RoHS and other Directives by visiting Innov-X’s Booth at the SMTA’s Capital meeting. The company will be showcasing the following products at the event... more...

...Waste management company Viridor has reported "substantial amounts" of small domestic appliances being handed in to its local authority sites in the first month of WEEE producer responsibility. The company operates 93 designated collection facility (DCF) sites for the collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) under the WEEE Regulations.... more...

...Here's a new one for you: PoHS. It’s a term being used for Norway's Prohibition on Certain Hazardous Substances in Consumer Products, a set of Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)-like rules that aim to restrict or ban 18 substances used in consumer goods. While the P in PoHS stands for "prohibition," the wide range of this regulation makes me wonder if the P will also double for "pain" or "pity" when it is implemented.... more...

...The National Audit Office (NAO) delivered a channel bonanza last week after publishing a report that revealed gaping holes in the government’s IT disposal strategy, leaving the path open for shrewd VARs to cash in.... more...

...Exporters of energy-using products have been told to get ready for a new EU environmental protection regulation that will take effect from tomorrow.... more...

...SNIA, the Storage Networking Industry Association, has set up a task force and technical working group to address "green storage". The groups will develop resources to help IT managers understand and address environmental issues, the organisation said.... more...

...REACH. . EU RoHS. . China RoHS. . Norway PoHS: with these and other toxicity-related Directives spreading around the globe, the electronics industry is under mounting pressure to identify, catalogue, and reduce their usage of highly toxic substances. However, these activities require far more than Y/N certificates from suppliers.... more...

...Legal action for non-compliance to the Waste Electrical and Electronics Equipment (WEEE) directive has been quiet since the incident in 2005 involving the Irish authorities fining retailer Boots Pharmacy for not displaying recycling costs added to the product price. But producers have been challenging authorities in the courts in at least two member states, Germany and the Netherlands.... more...

...One month after the introduction of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, waste management companies and local authorities are starting to reap the benefits... more...

...LGInternational (LGI) launched a Japan RoHS label line, including standard and custom compliant and content labels. The labels suit marking of electrical and electronic equipment in accordance with the Japanese Industrial Standard JIS C 0959:2005 (Japan RoHS or J-MOSS).... more...

...In response to global demand for environmentally friendly solutions, Rogers Corporation has developed a halogen-free, transparent epoxy polyimide laminate system that is safe for the environment and delivers superior performance in an all-inclusive package for flexible circuit designs.... more...

...Ageus Solutions is pleased to release the preliminary speakers list for the International Symposium on Environmental Standards for Electronics 2007 (ISESE'07- www.isese07.com) being held October 10th and 11th in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The program features presentations on RoHS- and WEEE-type legislation from North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific addressing the issues associated with implementation and enforcement of existing and emerging environmental legislation including the upcoming EuP and REACH requirements.... more...

...Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has launched a webinar series to educate manufacturers, consumer advocates and government regulators about solutions available to prevent dangerous lead levels in toys and children's jewelry.... more...

...The defense and aerospace industries need highly reliable leaded parts, but they also want to buy commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. The problem is that most parts suppliers have shifted to lead-free versions. That leaves defense and aerospace scrambling for older leaded inventory or switching to more expensive components that meet military specifications (mil-spec).... more...

...In compliance with global RoHS and in an effort to maximize reliability and to lower cost, Dr. Hwang leverages on the confluence of in-depth knowledge and real-world experiences to address lead-free reliability and production defect issues in two separate sessions.... more...

...A Norwegian plan to restrict the use of arsenic compounds in consumer products is due to come into force at the end of the year, although it seems that commonplace electronics using GaAs chips will evade the ban.... more...

...The European Commission is aiming to simplify the RoHS and WEEE Directives in 2008 to make the legislation less burdensome, easier to apply and thereby more effective in achieving its goals. Research teams from Arcadis ECOLAS (Antwerp, Belgium) and Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd (Loddon, England) have been contracted by the EC to conduct a 'Study on Directives 2002/95/EC on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)'.... more...

...Over the past two years, Kyzen has performed numerous Pb-free cleaning studies and evaluations at the company’s Application Testing Lab and at Cleaning Equipment Demonstration Centers. The evaluations consisted of Pb-free customer applications and designed experiments with solder paste and cleaning equipment companies. The results are a series of lessons learned, shared here to assist engineers in considering the process window for cleaning Pb-free circuit assemblies.... more...

...E-waste recycling and electronics being produced using fewer toxic substances and materials are hot topics right ow. But what's really happening? More and more lately, IT vendors trumpet their electronic-waste recycling and "takeback" programs, where manufacturers accept responsibility for the full lifecycle of goods they produce. Better yet, we're told, is the rapid trend toward "green computing," with electronics being produced using fewer toxic substances and materials that cannot be recycled.... more...

...Verdant Electronics announced today that it conceived and is developing an "evolutionary" new technology for both Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs) which promises to dramatically improve the way electronic products are made.... more...

...Verdant Electronics announced today that it conceived and is developing an 'evolutionary' new technology for both Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs) which promises to dramatically improve the way electronic products are made.... more...