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Regarding RoHS: Two Years In
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The two-year anniversary of the European Union's (EU) landmark RoHS legislation is right around the corner, July 1, and much still is left to debate, from the best lead-free solder formulation to the quality of enforcement, even to the real environmental/health threat of substances banned by the directive. No surprise then that RoHS, in its regional and global implications, remains a hotly contested, oft-discussed topic in the industry. With exemptions running out and new materials facing the ax, RoHS is just as much "beginning" today as it was in July 2006.
IPC Association Connecting Electronics Industries lobbied for all interested parties to be heard at a special meeting in Brussels, held last week, that confronted recommendations made by the Öko Institute for enlarging the RoHS framework. The meeting was part of a larger resistance effort being pushed by IPC and other industry organizations at odds with the requirements and changes brought on by RoHS. IPC cites a recommendation from Öko to ban Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) as part of the Institute's "biased and flawed methodologies". In May, the Commission of the European Communities seemed to side with IPC and other dissenters, finding that "competent authorities in the member states concerned" should lay out emission limits for TBBPA, but should not restrict its use in the manufacture of PCBs.
In addition to TBBPA, Hexabromocylcododecanes (HBCDDs), several phthalate plasticizers, and all organic compounds containing chlorine and bromine are included in the Öko report as suggested bans. "Implemented, these recommendations will have a significant negative impact on our members," explained Fern Abrams, IPC's director of government relations and environmental policy. She noted that IPC held the meeting in Brussels to make sure that all technical issues were considered by the commission when they drafted the RoHS revisions. Attendees at the meeting included members of the European Commission and the RoHS Technical Advisory Committee from Brussels and the U.K.; and representatives from European Space Agency; EU Commission consultant ERA Technology Ltd.; Rockwell Collins; Henkel Ltd.; BAE Systems Platform Solutions; Lockheed Martin; Aerospace Industries Association of America; Avantec; Isola GmbH; EADS; and others. Working with these attendees, IPC is developing a "supply chain" white paper in response to the proposed restrictions. According to a commission member, a technical response across a large section of the supply chain would be an effective method in communicating industry issues. Click here for a copy of the agenda and the workshop presentations.
RoHS is not a topic of debate limited to the high-level industry associations and commissions, nor to the Basel e-Waste Convention taking place this week. Nearly every industry dinner, tradeshow get-together, and other meeting of the minds in the EMS sector will nudge interested parties into a debate on the merits of lead-free assembly, the drawbacks, the necessity of RoHS, and countless other lead-free-related topics. Just as RoHS deals with materials, but touches every aspect of electronics from reflow profiles to parts numbers, RoHS discussions can flow out of any perspective. A worthwhile debate sprang up between George Riley of sister publication Advanced Packaging's Editorial Advisory Board, and Rick Short, marketing communications director for solder supplier Indium Corporation. Riley's The $38 Billion Blunder and Short's Rebuttal are worth reading for electronics manufacturers dealing with the realities of lead-free assembly.
Still looking to learn more about recent lead-free/RoHS happenings? Check out these articles:The Lead-free DilemmaLead-free Reliability for Harsh Environment ElectronicsIn Search of a Thorough RoHS-compliant ApproachThe Impact of RoHS on Military and Aerospace ApplicationsDesign for Compliance: The Impact of RoHS
And if you're wondering what will be the next wave of environmental legislation, read Laura Turbini's Halogen: The Latest Green Initiative.
Meredith Courtemanche, managing editor