Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - IPC to EC: Don't Change RoHS

BANNOCKBURN, IL— The IPC has formally urged the European Commission not to change the RoHS Directive, and to hold any proposed changes until their technical feasibility can be reviewed.

“Why compound the problem by expanding the scope of RoHS, when there are unresolved adverse reliability interconnect issues and greater adverse environmental, global warming and resource depletion impacts with the lead-free alternatives?”, said Lee Wilmot, director, Environmental, Health & Safety for TTM Technologies, in a press statement.

Instead, IPC supports a full lifecycle assessment, consisting of a comprehensive evaluation of the design, use and end-of-life impacts, of proposed substitutes before any changes take effect. “There should be clear and compelling evidence that potential substitutes are available, are reliable over the long-term and are preferable from a lifecycle perspective,” the trade group said.

IPC also encouraged the EC to regulate further substance restrictions under the current REACH Directive to avoid unnecessary confusion and, “to prevent overlapping and duplicative chemical regulations.”

A copy of IPC’s full comments is at ipc.org/commentRoHS.

The EC is accepting comments until Feb. 13. For information: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/pdf/2nd_consultation.pdf.