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Welcome to the February 2019 Design Chain Associates E-mail Newsletter!
In addition to DCA's newsletters, keep an eye on DCA's bi-monthly articles in TTI's MarketEYE Resource Center.
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Last fall, Environment Canada announced their intent to begin the restriction process for decabromodiphenyl ethane. Does that sound familiar? Well it should...it's almost the same as "decabromodiphenyl ether", which was restricted years ago by EU RoHS and other regulations in markets around the world. Decabromodiphenyl ethane, or DBDPE, is - molecularly - a very close cousin of DecaBDE, as the name would suggest. In fact, many manufacturers switched over to DBDPE when DecaBDE was restricted and they're (you're?) still using it today.
Environment Canada has moved to the next step and opened a 60 day comment period on the proposal to regulate DBDPE (among other important and well-known problematic substances). While there's only a week left to comment, please do so if you can.
While it is not surprising that many manufacturers switched over to DBDPE since its impact on the manufacturing process is minimal (due to its similarity to DecaBDE), it was clearly not a long-term solution. As the toxicology around this substance has improved, so has the likelihood of its restriction. Take a look at your other alternatives - are your replacement substances still legal but no better, toxicologically, than what they're replacing? Always ask this question.
Compliance & Risks is hosting me for a webinar next Tuesday, February 12, entitled "Product Environmental and Health Safety: A New Discipline". While Product Stewardship is good for reacting to regulatory requirements, Product Safety is the right discipline for actually producing safe products. Using the example above of DBDPE, I demonstrate this in a hopefully compelling manner. Sign up and attend - it's free! Then let me know what you think.
I, along with Aidan Turnbull of BOMcheck, will be chairing the Chemical Watch conference Chemicals Management for the Electronics Industry on March 28 in Brussels! We have a great line-up of presentations and panel sessions, kicking off with an update by the DG Environment RoHS Policy Officer. Get up to date, meet and network with your peers, and enjoy the seat of European Union power the day before Brexit Day!
Note that you can now catch-up on past DCA newsletters on our DCA In The News web page!
February 6, 2019 TTI MarketEYE: Buzzword-Compliance, Electronics and the Circular Economy. Circular Economy is an important buzzword, but as described so far for the electronics industry, is nowhere near "circular". I try to address - at a high level - what is needed to complete the circle.
December 5, 2018 TTI MarketEYE: RoHS 3 Begins, as does the RoHS Substance ID Methodology Definition. RoHS 3? Really? Has Mike lost it? Read it and see...November 22, 2018 Chemical Watch: Call for electronics sector safety standard for environment, health. Unless the electronics industry takes control, government and NGOs will continue to define the path toward environmental and health safety.
November 15, 2018 Chemical Watch: HP Inc: present chemicals management as a business proposition. IBM and HP spoke about how to approach management to improve product-related chemical management.
June 11-13, 2019: Reston, VA. ACS Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference.
March 28, 2019: Brussels, Belgium Chemicals Management for the Electronics Industry. We co-chair the conference, talk about long-term challenges with plastics, and co-moderate an industry panel at this one-day long session in Brussels, a day before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU. An exciting conference during an exciting time in Brussels. Plan to attend!
February 12, 2019: Webinar: Product Environmental and Health Safety: A New Discipline. We get philosophical in this webinar - why going beyond simple compliance is important.
More to come! Stay tuned.
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Best Regards,
Michael Kirschner
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