The deadline is approaching the EU environmental SONY Chinese cleaning 4 thousand suppliers

For SONY Europe company's sales staff, recalled the Christmas of 2001 was not a happy thing.

In the sales season approaching, SONY 1 million 300 thousand was selling PS game platform was rejected by the Holland customs. The problem lies in the game platform cable containing cadmium, according to the law of Holland, cadmium content has exceeded the scope of human security. Although many manufacturers use cadmium to improve the performance of cables and batteries, but more and more evidence shows that the accumulation of cadmium in waste in the environment to a certain extent will seriously affect human health.

At that time, SONY was the thing get scorched by the flames: on one side to recall and respond to the requirements of soothing voice, the other side is eager to put Taiwan as directed by the cable manufacturer, in the end who should bear the responsibility of the debate. Product seizure event delayed the sale of $160 million game products, SONY also took on the replacement parts, product inventory and packaging and other huge costs.

8 months later, that is July 1st next year after the encounter, SONY may frequently staged in Europe, the EU import restrictions contained 6 kinds of harmful elements are legal RoHS (i.e. "on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive") the effective date.

With the advent of electronic products scrap climax, a variety of environmental regulations on electronic products has become a topic of concern to IT manufacturers.

The world's toughest environmental order

August 13, 2005, the EU environmental protection directive in the electrical and mechanical products WEEE began to take effect, and the relevant directive RoHS will also be implemented in July 1, 2006. Require manufacturers responsible for recycling of electronic waste WEEE instructions and RoHS instructions prohibit the use of the 6 hazardous substances in products, which belongs to the formal law within the European Union, the EU environmental protection is called "dual command", but also by the industry called the world's most stringent environmental protection order, is "driving the global manufacturing nerve instructions".

According to the official announcements of the EU directive annex two directives relating to products in 10 categories, including nearly 200 thousand species, which covers almost all electronic information products including communication products, such as large and small household appliances, IT and communications equipment, electrical and electronic tools, toys, leisure and sports equipment, medical equipment etc..

Chinese Quality Certification Center Director Li Huailin told reporters that due to the introduction of the EU RoHS directive, there will be more than 3 thousand machine factories and tens of thousands of Chinese (mechanical and electrical) parts manufacturers affected by this directive. Involved in the amount of exports of electromechanical products accounted for 71% of China's total exports of electromechanical products, up to $31 billion 700 million. Yao Wenping, vice president of China Chamber of Commerce for import and export of mechanical and electrical products, confirmed to reporters that more than 6800 of the members of the chamber of Commerce will be affected by the direct impact of these two instructions.

RoHS's influence is not limited to Europe, it is gradually becoming a global standard.

RoHS, which is a member of the EU's 25 Member States, is likely to become a global standard. Japan has formulated green procurement rules, the United States and Canada, although not issued relevant laws and regulations worldwide, but some states have made local regulations limit the use of harmful elements such as lead, such as California and New Jersey.

For Chinese IT companies, to go abroad, RoHS has become a must pass the threshold.

In fact, the Chinese government has also enacted regulations in accordance with EU directives. The national development and Reform Commission to develop a "waste electrical and electronic products Recycling Management Ordinance", to avoid being shut out of inventory of electronic products in other countries of the EU environmental directives and a large number of raw materials to China. From 2003 the EU issued two environmental laws, the relevant departments of China will pay more attention to the information industry, the Ministry of national development and Reform Commission and other departments have promulgated the "measures" pollution management of electronic products, and formally implemented in this year.

China manufacturing advantage no longer?

It is not an easy task to calculate the cost of executing the RoHS. Some industry leaders and analysts said the estimated cost will reach hundreds of billions of dollars. According to the statistics of the European Electronic Trade Organization Orgalime, the cost of research and development in the European RoHS alone is estimated to be $19 billion. Senior vice president of Mike Steidl in Arizona, Amkor Technology, said: "the whole industry spent a lot of time and resources needed to complete this transformation."

PHILPS environment design expert AbStevels said: "the implementation of these two directives are truly large-scale experiments, because although the two directive goal is very clear, but there is no clear definition of detailed operational rules. In many ways, the complexity of the problem does not allow the rules to be worked out in advance, and the best practices will eventually become the de facto standard. So if the Chinese manufacturers do not do now, the future will be more and more pressure to lose market opportunities."

The expert analysis, if China enterprises can not be timely to the EU's new environmental requirements, then the product backlog, the sharp drop in exports, heavy sanctions and other issues will be followed, even enterprises will eventually be expelled from the EU market. But at the same time to meet the requirements of environmental protection, if we can not control the cost better, the cost of exports will increase significantly.

Ministry of Commerce, trade and Industry Bureau of the investigation department of the relevant person in charge stressed that after the implementation of WEEE, domestic enterprises must first pay the recycling fee, in order to allow access to the EU market. present