RoHS

The Electronics Industry has been challenged to be considerate of its environmental responsibilities. The inclusion of hazardous substances is no longer tolerated by the world-wide community, and various legislations are already in effect to regulate these concerns. Further, the Industry is being encouraged to consider the waste from their products, and to take responsibility for disposal and recycling.

The leading legislations for this change are known across Europe as the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directives. Member States of the EU have raised their own legislation to meet, if not exceed, these directives. Other countries and trading communities across the world are also passing laws which reflect the intent of the RoHS and WEEE Directives.

RoHS - Restriction of Hazardous Substances

As a component supplier, Harwin must take responsibility for the content of its products under the RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC. The Directive was completed in 2003, and took effect from July 1st, 2006. The complete text of the directive can be found at this location: Directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment

In simple terms, the following chemicals are reduced or eliminated:

Lead (Pb)
Mercury (Hg)
Cadmium (Cd)
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6)
Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)

Of all the Hazardous substances that impact Harwin product, Lead (Pb) is the biggest single factor. Lead has been used as an additive in soldering processes for over 50 years, to lower the melting temperature of Tin, to improve solderability and solder joint integrity. However, studies within the last 25 years have shown an increasing amount of Lead contaminating our water sources from landfill sites. A report from the Environmental Protection Agency shows the hazardous nature of lead as a pollutant

Therefore, the reduction of lead from artificial sources has been targeted, initially through the elimination of lead in Electronics (particularly Consumer Electronics). Although the total impact of waste electronics as a significant contributing factor in lead pollution is still under debate, technological advances have made the elimination of lead in electronics a viable proposition.

The following reports show some studies in the contributing factors of electronic waste to overall percentage of lead in waste: