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Wohler Technologies Policy on RoHS & WEEE
October 10, 2005 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Human resources for technological development are a precious capability, something no portion nor the whole of the world can afford to squander. Technical developments benefit everyone rich or poor, even those who don't directly use those developments. (Non-users indirectly benefit from lower costs and/or increased output(s) which direct users enjoy). So it is globally important to avoid diverting our engineering resources away from pressing needs (such as further significant reductions in the diseases which still afflict so many in Developing countries), onto development efforts such as "lead-free" soldering which will have little or no benefit.
No scientific evidence, let alone a 'preponderance' or similar mass of such evidence, has been offered to support the hypothesis that lead (in particular) contained in waste electrical & electronic products is now or will in any foreseeable future scenario, create any environmental or human health hazard(s). And worries about all the other substances targeted by RoHS are similarly short on uncontested evidence of real problems.
Concerns over "rapid" and/or other unwarranted contemporary depletion of 'natural resources' are equally lacking in supporting evidence. In fact, long-term, inflation-adjusted prices for all 'natural resources' (including energy ones) have been on steady, centuries-long DOWNWARD trends. An easy-to-understand explanation for this is that while amounts of each 'resource' within the earth are ultimately finite, the raw substances on or in the earth are of little or no value (use) -- it is the means of extraction, and use(s) to which each 'resource' is put, which are of great value. And those means and applications are the creation of the human Mind, the creative powers of which are virtually infinite.Accordingly, it seems a great waste of effort to adopt the myopic priorities of the EU's RoHS and WEEE Directives. In fact, the benefits of conforming to these Directives' economic- and progress- stifling requirements are miniscule, and are completely outweighed by their tremendous costs. Wohler Technologies therefore finds it imperative that we REJECT the imposition of these Directives on the industries which have contributed so much in recent decades (particularly among the world's poorest people!) to the increasing standards of health and living everywhere.
We invite all our Customers and Suppliers to examine the facts about these issues, and take whatever actions are appropriate to the conclusions you arrive at. At a minimum, we hope you'll join us in calling for an immediate and complete postponement, if not outright repeal, of the disastrous RoHS and WEEE 'Directives' (and all similar ill-considered legislative acts), until at least there is clear and convincing scientific and economic evidence that implementation of any such measures will bring benefits clearly in excess of their costs.
Will Wohler
President & Founder of Wohler Technologies, Inc.,