Background to the RoHS Regulations

Transcription

1 Background to the RoHS Regulations Professor Martin Goosey IeMRC Industrial Director Loughborough 4th June

2 Introduction and Background Alle Ding' sind Gift, und nichts ohn' Gift; allein die Dosis macht, daß ein Ding kein Gift ist All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous Paracelsus to 1541

3 Introduction and Background Realisation that the electronics industry uses materials that are both toxic and potentially harmful to the environment Increasing pressure from consumers to make products safer and more environmentally benign Growing quantities of WEEE resulted in Europe and RoW Overall desire to adopt more sustainable approaches Need to recover and reuse more materials from WEEE

4 BMJ 1996;312:1569 Electronics and Sustainability Phthalates Silver PFOS Beryllium Lead Antimony Nanoparticles

5 The Materials of RoHS Lead has already been banned in many applications eg glasses, paints and as a fuel additive, but direct relationship between exposure and IQ* Brominated flame retardants persistent in the environment Hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen Cadmium - concentrates in the kidney and other organs and more toxic than lead or mercury Mercury long known to be toxic eg Minimata Disease See, for example, Tong et al, Lifetime exposure to environmental lead and children's intelligence, BMJ, 1996 Volume 312:, page 1569

6 The Problem with Lead Lead is a very useful material that has a wide range of important applications eg in batteries, buildings, electronics etc The key impact of RoHS was on lead, as this appeared in the solders used in most electronics assembly operations Alternatives developed, but can have a negative impact on reliability Issues likely to continue as devices and solder joints get smaller Exemptions for lead may expire under RoHS recast

7 Lead and the RoHS Directive The RoHS Directive drove electronics to become lead-free first in Europe and then globally Lead was proscribed but the alternatives were more difficult to solder, needed higher process temperatures and had inferior reliability New failure modes noted or established ones exacerbated by going lead-free eg CAF, tin whiskers, solder joint failures Ongoing issues with conversion of high performance electronics Huge amount of ongoing research into new materials and processes

8 Lead and the RoHS Directive RoHS reflects research over the past 50 years in biological toxicology It acknowledges the long-term effects of lowlevel chemical exposure Most lead is used outside the electronics industry, <0.5% was used in solder (2002) It is relatively easy to recover and recycle

9 Brominated Flame Retardants The RoHS Directive proscribed certain brominated flame retardants (BFRs) Spotlight on BFRs and pressure is growing to ban them all due to long term potential environmental and safety issues They produce toxic gases on combustion and also bio-accumulate The BFRs widely used in printed circuit boards are not proscribed However, some companies have stopped using these materials due to public perceptions/customer pressures

10 Brominated Flame Retardants PCB laminate suppliers now offer a range of halogen-free laminates They use phosphorus-based flame retardants and inorganic fillers These offer some benefits but can also be more expensive to use Likely to see wider use of these materials in the future Many large OEMs developed halogen-free road maps a few years ago eg Nokia, Sony, Samsung, Dell

11 Negative Impact of RoHS Initial compliance with the RoHS Directive had cost the electronics industry $32 billion by 2008 Data from a US survey* found that; that RoHS compliance increased component, module and manufacturing costs by an average of ~12% companies reported lost sales averaging $1.84 million, due to delays in new product sales and lost business in the EU the average cost per company was $2.64 million to achieve initial compliance, and another $482,000 to maintain annual compliance * Source: Technology Forecasters of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Survey of 200 companies

12 Positive Impact of RoHS It is not all bad news there are some opportunities Products contain fewer hazardous materials - beneficial to workers, the environment and recyclers Companies have used the RoHS Directive to develop new materials and processes Classic example is lead-free and halogen-free electronics assembly

13 General Positive Outcomes Hazardous materials have been replaced New materials and processes are being developed Companies have used the RoHS Directive to; improve their supply chain process reduce the number of products offered gain market share as a result of RoHS develop new products develop new processes demonstrate their environmental credentials

14 Benefitting from Legislation Is it really possible to benefit from the legislation? Legislation is driving the development of new and improved materials and processes but every change costs money Producers have to comply, so consumers/end users will have to pay European industry is likely to suffer Opportunities for innovation in electronics assembly alternative solders eg lead-free etc and alternatives to solder adhesives use of additive manufacturing technologies rather than subtractive further integration and miniaturisation replacement of certain metals chromium and cadmium new flame retardants systems for PCBs and other plastics

15 SUMMARY Whenever there is change, there is a cost! Compliance with the RoHS Directive (and REACH) regulations has incurred huge costs, not only in Europe, but globally Does it all make sense? depends on the perspective! Products and processes should be safer, less polluting, easier to recycle There may be competitive advantage for some organisations There may also be an accelerated decline in some European manufacturing sectors impacted by the legislation There is more legislation to come and non-compliance is not an option

16 IeMRC - Upcoming Events etc New Annual Report about to be published R2i2 Connecting Research to Industry, 3 rd July, Loughborough abstract by 7 th June IeMRC Annual Conference, 25 th September, Loughborough

17 Information about the IeMRC Visit the IeMRC website Contact IeMRC s researchers Annual reports Collaborative Seminars Annual Conference

18 Background to the RoHS Regulations Professor Martin Goosey IeMRC Industrial Director Loughborough 4th June