New ChemSec report: Apple, Sony Ericsson and suppliers are removing chlorine and bromine from electronics
ChemSec, together with the US based environmental organization Clean Production Action (CPA), today announce a new precedent setting research report on companies that are leading the electronics industry by moving away from chemicals that can lead to health and environmental problems. The report: “Greening Consumer Electronics: Moving Away from Bromine and Chlorine” features seven companies who have engineered environmental solutions that negate the need for most - or in some cases all - uses of brominated and chlorinated chemicals.
- “This report provides critical guidance for those companies who have yet to make this material transition,” says Nardono Nimpuno, Senior Policy Advisor at ChemSec. “Reduction of bromine and chlorine is a critical demonstration of environmental leadership on toxic use reduction within the broader sustainability lens of improving the full life cycle impacts of products. It is our goal to use this information to leverage these changes across the entire electronics sector.”
- “These seven companies demonstrate that there are less toxic and still cost effective alternatives to substances of high concern that do not compromise performance or reliability,” says CPA Project Director Alexandra McPherson. “They are well positioned to gain competitive advantage in a marketplace and regulatory environment increasingly sensitive to the use of toxic chemicals in consumer products.”
Since 2003 the European Union limits the use of certain heavy metals and brominated flame retardants in electronic products through the RoHS Directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances). During 2008-2010 the RoHS Directive is being revised. RoHS has been adopted globally and is considered one of the most important environmental standards in the electronics sector. Despite initial concerns that substance restrictions in RoHS would disrupt the development of new and improved consumer electronic products, leading companies are now moving beyond RoHS compliance by restricting additional bromine and chlorine based compounds in consumer electronic products.
The following seven companies featured in this report demonstrate best industry practices and provide critical guidance for the development of environmentally robust and sound industry- wide standards and policies.
Apple (US) – Apple established an innovative program that restricts the use of nearly all bromine and chlorine compounds across all their product lines. As such, Apple now offers a wide range of PVC and BFR free consumer products including iPhones and iPods, as well as computers that are free of BFRs and most uses of PVC.
Sony Ericsson (UK)– Sony Ericsson is not only removing substances of concern from their products, but also taking on the complicated task of establishing full chemical inventories for all their product lines. The company’s products are now 99.9% BFR free and will have no PVC components by the end of 2009.
Seagate (US)– The largest disk drive manufacturer in the world is now creating new disk drives that no longer use chlorine- and bromine-based chemistries. This success was largely facilitated by the company’s full material disclosure system.
DSM Engineering Plastics (Netherlands) – This major plastic material manufacturer is among the first to offer a complete portfolio of engineering plastics that are free of bromine and chlorine. They developed and produced a new high temperature polyamide 4T polymer with bromine free grades for connectors and sockets as well as a thermoplastic co-polyester that can be used as a replacement for PVC-based wire and cables.
Nan Ya (Taiwan) and Indium (US) – Nan Ya, a major laminate manufacturer, and Indium, a high-end manufacturer of solder paste and flux, both overcame major technical challenges to produce bromine- and chlorine-free components for printed circuit boards that met the same reliability standards of their halogenated counter parts.
Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. (US) – This semiconductor manufacturer was the first in the industry to supply Apple and others with bromine-free chips.
Full report "Greening Consumer Electronics"
Fact sheet: Bromine and Chlorine – Human Health and Environmental Concerns