REACH and the electronic supply chain: Are you ready?

(f00112) REACH and the electronics supply chain: Are you ready?

Stephen Greene, principal, Howland Greene Consultants LLC

Electronics Supply & Manufacturing

05/29/2008 6:14 PM

There are many reasons why the electronics industry should be concerned about the European Union's (EU) chemical law — Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), and all of these reasons will impact your company's bottom line.

The most important reason is that electronic products are made of chemicals. However, many businesses fail to see that their parts or assemblies are a bill of materials of chemicals that went into processing and manufacturing the parts they use. In addition, many of the chemicals have toxic properties.

You are, no doubt, aware of the impact that the EU's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive has had on the electronics industry. The restriction of six substances (and as of June 30, seven) required a major redesign of most electronic products covered because of the restriction on the use of lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, mercury, PBB and PBDE. Add DecaBDE (brominated fire retardant) effective July 1, 2008 because the European Commission's exemption of DecaBDE was nullified by the European Court of Justice. (See related article: European Court of Justice annuls Deca-BDE RoHS exemption)

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