(Environmentally Conscious Electronics)

Trends driven by the Earth's regulation and aggressive market strategies With the progress of the times, people are increasingly aware of the effects of electromagnetic waves on the environment. Although the main driving force behind this phenomenon is the increase in legal awareness, consumer perceptions of consumption and the preference for green products are also one of the driving forces for the growth of this phenomenon. This combination of behavior and fierce competition in the market will help attract consumers and stimulate the consumption of green products. In order to remain competitive, it is extremely important to meet global environmental regulations and strengthen "material awareness."

Government regulations In the process of improving the environment, a clear and obligatory impetus is to use laws and regulations to protect the environment. Despite the initial focus on the production floor and the process of producing pollution, environmental laws have increasingly placed emphasis on a wide range of products and the pollution problems that have arisen in its life cycle. When dealing with environmental issues, the rules and regulations used around the world vary.

Europe: Currently, two waste directives in the field of design and electronic product management are being studied. The first one, waste directly from electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE), requires that these products be recycled by electronic manufacturers after they have been scrapped. And recycle. Although it is hoped that the current draft will be amended when it is handed over to the European Business Association, the WEEE Directive will dramatically change the responsibilities of the manufacturer once it is implemented, because then the product is easy to assemble and circulate, and the demand for the product Will increase.

The second directive is on the European market. By 2008, electronic products containing lead, mercury, cadmium, and two brominated flame retardants will be banned. This directive was rejected by industry because it was not based on scientific evidence, but its impact on the Earth's environmental electronics was very far-reaching.

In November last year, Denmark proposed to prohibit lead in most products. The new ordinance imposes extensive bans on lead compounds in products and is applicable to many products containing lead metal. Some bans have been implemented since March 1, 2001; others will be introduced at the stage. Although electronic products are not yet included in the scope of such products, they indicate that more and more products may not contain lead.

Asia: Asia also has problems with electronic pollution. In 2000, China banned the import of certain waste electronic components and successfully reduced electronic pollution. Japan revised part of the recycling law to promote the recycling of materials. Japanese law requires manufacturers of products (such as personal computers) to have high-energy, long-life features, to establish a practical maintenance system, and a flexible design for future upgrades. In addition, the law requires manufacturers to recycle and recycle used PCs.

The United States: Despite the fact that no significant new environmental regulations have been introduced in the United States over the years, it has also made important adjustments to some laws and regulations and has a great impact on the environmental issues that exist in the electronics industry.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been continuously proposing and completing such regulations, which will prevent industrial use of certain heavy metals, especially lead, cadmium, and mercury. For example, the EPA has just recently perfected a system to limit toxic gas emissions (TRI) and required that the amount of lead released be reduced from 25,000 pounds per year to less than 100 pounds per year. This law is criticized as lacking scientific basis and may be attacked by new business management.

The EPA also covers lead, mercury, cadmium, and other lists of “persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic” (PBT) metals that are used to reduce the amount of heavy metals and PBT organisms released into the environment. Continental and local law agencies are increasingly using the PBT scheme in the EPA and its list to adjust local facilities.

Some other continents have also actively developed and established regulations that have a huge impact on the electronics industry. Most strikingly, New England has developed a mercury modelling regulation that requires the calibration, collection, and recovery of mercury-containing products. This regulation markedly improved the form of the solution at the Northeastern Governor’s Conference in the summer of 2000 and showed that Every effort should be made to implement the law on a large scale.

In addition to laws and regulations, there are numerous government incentives for improving the environment. Government procurement is closely linked with the certification of environmental attributes and environmental management systems. The U.S. government has also invested various bonuses in inventing new technologies that are environmentally friendly.

More and more customers require suppliers to eliminate certain raw materials or provide certain environmental characteristics. Consumers first consider the environmental characteristics when upgrading electronic products. They hope to purchase energy-star labels on computers, televisions, refrigerators and other products to disclose their energy efficiency. In Europe, consumers need to look at water consumption when they buy washing machines; in Japan, consumers value products that contain no lead and can be reused many times.

Both Japanese electronics companies and European companies are trying to increase market share by offering products that are suitable for environmental characteristics.

Following the adoption of ISO14000 and European Eco-Management and Auditing Standards, major European and Asian companies have begun to require surveys of supply company EMS statistics and list them. There are a large number of materials that are listed in the prohibition and restriction table. They are also often called “materials of concern”, including materials that are prohibited by law, health-related, and those that are not allowed by law or restricted by industrial customers or because of special interests of some organizations. The material of interest. In addition, there are problematic materials that have ecolabels in different countries.

Industry often divides the materials of concern into two categories: prohibited materials and vigilant materials. Banned materials are those materials that are prohibited by law in one or more countries as industrial customers. Vigilant materials are materials that government agencies or customers need to consider critically, or materials that have banned and vigilant materials.

Several interesting and identified raw materials are found in electronic products, and eliminating them requires a lot of work to identify, develop, and control quality.

Fire Retardant: Fire Retardants can be found in printed sensor boards, plastic housings, and insulating materials. One of the most readily available flame retardants in organic materials is the use of halogenated materials. Some inorganic materials, such as antimony trioxide, can be used alone or in combination with brominated materials. The second is bromide, which may have bioaccumulation and is targeted by the WEEE Directive. In addition, the use of bromide is of concern because carbon dioxide may be generated during combustion.

Lead: Lead can be found in welding and joining materials, electrolytic cells, dyes, piezoelectric devices, discontinuous groups, and cathode ray tubes.

Cadmium: Cadmium can be found in electrolyzers, dyes, and pigments, and is regarded as a human carcinogen that is still known to be explored. Most major electronics companies have been working hard to eliminate this usage.

Mercury: Mercury is present on platforms, computers, digital cameras, fax machines, and flat-screen televisions. Mercury is considered to be a chemical with high toxicity and bioaccumulation.

Technology Needs The continuous improvement of the environmental characteristics of electronic and electronic products will promote the development and improvement of new technologies, eliminate potentially harmful substances that may exist, and increase the reuse and recycling of products during their debilitating period.