FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2003
For more information contact:
Ted Smith - 408-287-6707
David Wood - 608-232-1830
February 19, 2003 - Two laws that were hotly contested by the electronics industry passed through the European parliament and were entered into force with publication in the European Union's official journal this week.
"The enactment of these laws is a critical first step in the transition to Extended Producer Responsibility as an important new code of conduct for the global electronics industry," said Ted Smith, Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and Coordinator of the national ComputerTakeBack Campaign.
One set of laws --Waste from Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Directive -- requires the European Union to introduce free take back of electronic waste (e-waste) and to ensure that equipment producers are responsible for financing the collection, treatment, recovery and disposal of all waste.
The second set of laws -- Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive -- require that manufacturers cease using lead,mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and the brominated flame retardants PBDE and PBB in products marketed after July 1, 2006.
"These laws don't just apply to European countries, but to U.S. companies based in Europe," added David Wood of the GrassRoots Recycling Network and organizing director of the Computer TakeBack Campaign. "The EU's action provides additional momentum to our advocacy for passage of similar laws in the United States. If computers can be manufactured with fewer toxic materials in Europe, then those same design improvement should be implemented in the U.S. and world-wide"
"U.S. companies have continued to lag behind their European and Asian counterparts," said Smith citing the 2002 Annual Computer Report Card issued by the Computer TakeBack Campaign. This trend has been on-going for several years, and unless U.S. companies take a more pro-active role, the implementation of the European Directives will result in the U.S. falling further and further behind."
While most U.S. companies have take back programs for their consumer accounts, the Computer TakeBack Campaign is advocating that companies expand these programs to include consumers. Some companies like Hewlett-Packard and Apple have already implemented small scale programs and support the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility.
The Computer TakeBack Campaign has selected Dell Computer as their corporate target. "Dell's sales in US and European markets are consistently strong," continued Wood." The company operates a system for taking back all used equipment and ensuring the materials are handled according to strict environmental standards--but only in Europe. In the US, however, though Dell is a profit and sales leader, it consistently ranks as an environmental laggard."
The text of the law
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition is a 20 year old grassroots organization based in Silicon Valley that has highlighted detrimental environmental, community and occupational health impacts of the electronics industry and promotes clean production, sustainable production and extended producer responsibility.
The Computer TakeBack Campaign is a coalition of more than 20 environmental, recycling, worker, policy and grassroots organizations that are promoting electronic takeback and corporate responsibility from electronics industry.
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