Regulation of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Europe : Manufacturer’s perspective
Kramar, Olesya (2016)
Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulu
2016
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2016052710410
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2016052710410
Tiivistelmä
Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) constitutes a major waste source in Europe, with projected volumes as high as 12 million tons in 2020. Historically, it has incorporated a variety of chemical substances, now identified as hazardous to both the human health and the environment, such as heavy metals and various organic compounds. In order to limit the incorporation of such substances into electronics, a number of harmonised European legal acts were introduced since the beginning of 2000s as a part of a trend to create a single European market for goods and services. The hazardous substance legislation, being ranked among the most burdensome by the manufacturers, places a variety of requirements on legal manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment, depending on the nature of the product, volumes placed on the European market, and a number of other factors.
The purpose of this thesis was to research the requirements such legislation places on EEE manufacturers, compliance approaches available to them and the impact of the legislation on the manufacturer’s operations and the environment. The study was based on the analysis of European legal acts and both official and unofficial guidance documents, publications from market surveillance authorities as well as topic-related research literature.
The state of compliance has not yet been analysed systematically, but a number of small-scale studies, though purely informative, suggest a compliance state can be described as compromised. Recent non-compliance rates range between 19.7% and 40%. Manufacturers struggle to comply with the requirements due to both a lack of expertise and the economic costs of compliance, along with their position in the supply chain; however, the reduction in hazardous chemicals, in particular heavy metals, in electronic waste specifically linked with the new harmonised legislation has already been established.
The purpose of this thesis was to research the requirements such legislation places on EEE manufacturers, compliance approaches available to them and the impact of the legislation on the manufacturer’s operations and the environment. The study was based on the analysis of European legal acts and both official and unofficial guidance documents, publications from market surveillance authorities as well as topic-related research literature.
The state of compliance has not yet been analysed systematically, but a number of small-scale studies, though purely informative, suggest a compliance state can be described as compromised. Recent non-compliance rates range between 19.7% and 40%. Manufacturers struggle to comply with the requirements due to both a lack of expertise and the economic costs of compliance, along with their position in the supply chain; however, the reduction in hazardous chemicals, in particular heavy metals, in electronic waste specifically linked with the new harmonised legislation has already been established.