Promoting Resource Efficiency in Small & Medium size ... - UNEP

Laws, regulations and standards
10.1 REACH 102
REACH is a new European Community Regulation on
chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006). It focuses on
the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of
Chemical substances. The aim of REACH is to improve the
protection of human health and the environment through the
better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of
chemical substances.
Manufacturers and importers will be required to gather information
on the properties of their chemical substances, which will allow
their safe handling, and to register the information in a central
database run by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in
Helsinki. The Regulation also calls for the progressive substitution
of the most dangerous chemicals when suitable alternatives have
been identified.
10.2 ROHS
The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous
substances in electrical and electronic equipment 2002/95/EC
commonly referred to as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances
Directive or RoHS, was adopted in February 2003 by the European
Union. The RoHS Directive took effect on 1 July 2006. This Directive
restricts the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of
various types of electronic and electrical equipment:
1. Lead (Pb)
2. Mercury (Hg)
3. Cadmium (Cd)
4. Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)
5. Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
6. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)
PBB and PBDE are flame-retardants used in several plastics.
The maximum permitted concentrations are 0.1% or 1000 ppm (except
for cadmium, which is limited to 0.01% or 100 ppm) by weight.
10.3 WEEE
Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or the Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive describes regulations
concerning waste electrical or electronic devices. The processing
of electronic waste in developing countries causes serious health
and pollution problems because electronic equipment contains
some very serious contaminants such as lead, cadmium,
beryllium and brominated flame-retardants.
The Directive requires equipment manufacturers to take financial
or physical responsibility for their equipment at the end of its
life. Manufacturers must arrange for the ecological disposal,
reuse or refurbishment of electrical and electronic waste at the
end of its useful life.
102) European Commission - Environment, REACH, undated
103