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CHICAGO – Boeing Co. this week reiterated its stance on lead-free products, reminding its suppliers to validate that their products meet existing contractual requirements. Those requirements include environmental and reliability, Boeing said in the letter, dated July 12.

In the letter, Boeing said that while it “supports the broad goal of eliminating hazards from lead and other materials in products, there is consensus within the aerospace industry that there are many unanswered questions regarding lead-free solder in aerospace applications.”  As such, the aerospace firm mandates suppliers to notify of any plans to transition to lead-free electronics, even if lead parts become unavailable.

The letter was issued by Boeing’s supplier management process council.

 “The Boeing Company,” the SMPC wrote,” is absolutely committed to ensuring that its products avoid defects in performance, safety and reliability. Therefore, Boeing reminds its suppliers to validate that their deliverables meet current contractually required performance and qualification requirements (including environmental and reliability) and verify that their procured materials and products likewise support these requirements.”

Acknowledging that lead-free processing and reliability is evolving, Boeing said it will update its position as the technology matures.