Growing Greener: from Europe to the Far East
The RoHS Directive provided a guideline for legislators to enact new laws that will control the active presence of harmful substances in electrical and electronic appliances. RoHS complianceas defined by the European Union is a sign of its eagerness in ensuring better life quality by ensuring less contaminants use in necessary electrical and electronic equipment.
Fortunately, brand new methods of testing such waste and recycling materials, chief among them the X-ray based methodology known as XRF, make environmental screening both reliable and relatively easy. Uncontrolled disposal of active toxic chemical elements and compounds, including hexavalent chromium, cadmium, mercury, lead, PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and PBB (polybrominated biphenyls), is prohibited by the directive. In the European Union these have been under restriction since 1 July 2006.
The aim of RoHS directive is to control the presence of harmful chemical compounds in people and in the environment. It has become de rigueur for the manufacturers of certain types of equipment. By formulating the directive and instituting it as a guideline for all its member countries, the EU has not only served the broad humanitarian and environmental interests of the region of Europe, but also helped industries worldwide to identify scopes for reducing their production costs. For sure, no resources are available without any limit; whether it is a formulated chemical compound or a mineral, resources are always scarce. The RoHS enforces the compliance of such industries where use of those chemical compounds is necessity but can be maintained within controlled limits.
Now, the implications laid by the directive have also affected industries operating in Far East and beyond Europe. As Europe, a highly continent, no longer caters to industries where labor is used intensively, so exporters of electrical and electronic items to Europe have effectively come under same scope and must now comply with RoHS requirements. Though aimed at Europe, the impact of the directive is far broader, helping humanity move closer to a greener world.