Conformity Magazine - January 2009 - (Page 11) NewsBreaks Paper Details Eco-Design Requirements for Televisions Two leading public safety consortiums in the European Union (EU) have jointly released a white paper that addresses consumer concerns related to the EU’s eco-design requirements for televisions. Entitled “Consumer Relevant Eco-Design Requirements for Televisions,” the paper is a joint effort of the BEUC, a consortium of 41 consumer organizations from 30 separate European counties, and ANEC, the European Association for the Coordination of Consumer Representation in Standardization. The paper outlines what it identifies as the main consumer-relevant issues related to the possible eco-design requirements for televisions, and recommends options for improvement regarding those requirements. Among its several recommendations, the paper calls for more consistency between different EU requirements and instruments, such as eco-design requirements, the Energy Label and the Eco-Label, as they relate to televisions. In addition, the paper also calls on the EU Commission to make mandatory the provision for a “hard-off” switch for televisions to reduce energy consumption. Our readers can view the complete text of the ANEC/BEUC paper on ecodesign requirements for televisions at www.conformity.com/2514. recycling of electrical and electronic waste that will increase mandatory collection targets in EU Member States. The EU has restricted the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment through its Directive 2002/95/EC (also known as the RoHS Directive), and has promoted the collection and recycling of such equipment though Directive 2002/96/EC (also known as the WEEE Directive) since early 2003. However, according to information posted on the website of the Commission’s Directorate General Environment, only about one third of electrical and electronic waste generated in the EU is being recycled, with the remaining two thirds going to landfills or treatment sites outside of the EU. The Commission’s proposed changes would set mandatory collection targets equal to 65% of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market in over the previous two years in each Member State. The Commission says that it will also set target recovery rates for medical devices. Our readers can view the Commission’s proposal regarding changes to the EU’s WEEE Directive at www.conformity. com/2515. Information on the proposed changes to the RoHS Directive can be viewed at www.conformity.com/2516. A list of additional documents related to the proposed changes can be found at www.conformity.com/2517. The RAPEX system was authorized under the provisions of the EU’s General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC) to ensure the rapid exchange of information among EU Member States and the Commission regarding unsafe consumer products. RAPEX tracks data on the number of notifications received by Member States, the types of products for which notifications have been filed, the nature of the risk posed by the products, and the country of origin of the products. For the period of January through September, 2008, the Commission reports a 10% overall increase in the number of notifications involving products that posed a serious risks to consumers, jumping from 996 notifications in the first nine months of 2007 to 1099 notifications during the comparable period in 2008. Of the 1099 notifications, 366 were related to the product category of toys (33%), and 126 were related to electrical appliances (11%). Regarding the country of origin identified in connection with unsafe products, more than half (615, or 59%) of all notifications were related to products originating from China, with another 112 (10%) of unsafe products failing to identify any country of origin at all. The third greatest number of notifications (63) was associated with products originating from Germany. Our readers can view the complete text of the Commission’s most recent report on RAPEX statistics at www.conformity.com/2518. EU Commission Proposes Changes to RoHS, WEEE Directives The Commission of the European Union (EU) is proposing changes to its key directives on the collection and EU Commission Releases Data on Unsafe Consumer Products The Commission of the European Union (EU) has released statistics for the first nine months of 2008 on notices of unsafe consumer products that have been processed through the EU’s rapid information system (RAPEX). CPSC Answers Questions About the CPSIA To help manufacturers and importers better understand their obligations under the recently enacted Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), continued on page 3 JAnUAry 2009 Conformity 11 http://www.conformity.com/2515 http://www.conformity.com/2515 http://www.conformity.com/2516 http://www.conformity.com/2517 http://www.conformity.com/2518 http://www.conformity.com/2514
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