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Electronic Engineering News Digest |
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COMPONENT NEWS | INDUSTRY NEWS | RoHS/WEEE NEWS |
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All You Wanted to Know About Computer RecyclingComputer recycling means saving some the parts from the obsolete computers while getting rid of those parts that are toxic in nature. This means that there must be a proper way to recycle the old and obsolete computers, so that we can get rid of them without putting ourselves as well as the environment to harm. [Read more...] |
Now, the next wave is here, in the form of the European Commission's Directive 2005/32/EC, also known as the Energy-Using Products (EuP) Directive, which establishes a consistent EU-wide framework for setting and implementing eco-design requirements for Energy-using Products.
The EuP Directive was adopted in July 2005 and must be put into force by EC Member States by August 2007. As a framework, it does not impose requirements directly but defines conditions and criteria for establishing requirements that Energy-using Products must fulfill in order to be placed on the market or put into service. Implementation measures adopted by the EU member states for compliance to the directive will set specific eco-design requirements for particular product groups. Work is currently underway to define standards that will help manufacturers test and measure compliance with the requirements of future implementing measures.
Currently, no specific eco-design requirements have been approved. The first step in considering whether and which eco-design requirements should be set for a particular product is a preparatory study recommending ways to improve the environmental performance of the product. The preparatory study shall provide the necessary information to prepare for the next phases which are the impact assessment, the consultation of an Eco-design Forum and a possible draft implementing measure.
Preparatory studies have been commissioned in the following areas:
The EuP policy is also intended to ensure that disparities between the eco-design laws or measures adopted by the individual Member States do not become barriers to trade or promote unfair competition within the European Community. It is, in effect, a means to harmonize environmental requirements and will force manufacturers to immediately change the way they develop new products.
Product impact
Unlike the prior WEEE and EU RoHS directives which focused only on certain categories of electronic and electrical equipment (EEE), the EuP Directive defines an Energy-using Product (EuP) more broadly, to include "a product which, once placed in the market and/or put into service, is dependent on energy input (electricity, fossil fuels and renewable energy sources) to work as intended" and "parts dependent on energy input and intended to be incorporated into an EuP covered by [the Directive]".
The directive calls for a Working Plan to be established by July 2007, which will identify an indicative list of product groups that will be considered as priorities for the adoption of the directives implementing measures for the following three years. However, prior to the release of the Working Plan, the directive specifically calls for the introduction of implementing measures for products which have been identified by the European Climate Change Program as offering high potential for cost-effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These product groups include: heating and water heating equipment, electric motor systems, lighting, domestic appliances, office equipment, consumer electronics, and HVAC (heating ventilating air conditioning) systems.
In principle, the directive applies to all energy-using products and covers all energy sources.
Another departure from the prior EEE-focused directives is the product volume threshold. The EuP Directive will apply to any type of product with more than 200,000 units sold per year into the European Community (totaled across all manufacturers).
The penalties for non-compliance, still under development by the EU, will be in the words of the Directive, "effective, proportionate, and dissuasive", and could include banning a product from sale.
Even though not fully defined and implemented in the individual EU member states, the EuP Directive has significant implications for a manufacturer's new product development activities. Specific environmental aspects need to be assessed for each phase of the product's lifecycle including:
In addition, for each phase, the following environmental aspects are to be assessed where relevant:
The assessment should include an evaluation of alternative design approaches that could improve the overall environmental performance of the product. These assessments and the appropriate eco-design requirements need to be integrated into the design process, especially during the early stages when there is the greatest ability to influence the performance and design of the final product.
Product design teams used to working with product cost and size budgets will now need to consider energy budgets for when the product is in use and during all other phases of the lifecycle. It is likely the effort to accommodate the assessments and additional requirement trade-offs, as well as the initial ambiguity around the directive implementation will, at least initially, impact product development cycle times.
With the 2007 deadline on the near-term horizon, manufacturers should be investigating the potential implications of the directive on their product portfolios, product roadmaps, and product development processes today.
Manufacturers should start by following these steps.
The EuP Directive is intended to have a significant impact on the environment, but not before it first impacts manufacturers that will be subject to its requirements. Compliance will require significant changes to how products are developed which will require time and resources to implement.
Companies that follow sustainable environmental compliance practices and are prepared earlier (especially when factoring in the company's product development cycles) for the challenges created by eco-design requirements may see competitive advantages, albeit temporary, in the EU marketplace.
For more information on readying product development to support the EuP Directive or environmental compliance best practices, please contact Debbie Cote (dcote@prtm.com) or Robert Chinn (rchinn@prtm.com).
Original text is here
