Conformity Magazine - February 2009 - (Page 46)

As mentioned above, the draft implementing measures that have been prepared so far do not require any ecological profiling to be done, and have identified energy in use as having the most significant life cycle environmental impact for the products covered. However, the directive does require that life cycle impacts are assessed. While at the moment this assessment is being carried out in the preparatory study phase, and the results used to form the basis of the requirements in the implementing measures, it is entirely likely that in the future, as the directive starts to address wider life cycle impacts and embrace more specialized industrial, medical or communications products, manufacturers may have to carry out a degree of life cycle assessment and ecological profiling of their products. Certainly in the broader context of eco-design, where, for strategic business purposes, manufacturers are seeking to improve the environmental performance of their products beyond that required by legislation, some form of life cycle assessment will be needed. The life cycle of a typical electrical or electronic product is considered to consist of the following phases: • Raw material selection and use • Manufacturing • Packaging, transport and distribution • Installation and maintenance • Use • End of life (e.g., end of its first use, reuse, recycling, until final disposal) • Transport between phases Environmental Aspects to be considered in each Life Cycle Phase predicted consumption of materials, of energy and of other resources such as fresh water Table 2 is derived from the EuP Directive, and shows the link between the environmental aspects of an electrical product that impact on the environment across the life cycle, and the design parameters that must be addressed in order to mitigate these impacts. Having identified the aspects that impact on the environment and the design parameters that must be addressed, it is then necessary to rank or prioritize these in some way. Software packages are available that will do this, or you can develop your own ranking method using key environmental performance indicators. The legislation does not specify how this should be done. Having ranked the aspects and design parameters, then design measures and approaches must be employed to mitigate the effects starting with the most significant. These approaches can generally be selected from the following list: • Design for use ° ° ° ° Reduce energy in use Optimise quantity and nature of consumables Extend lifetime Reduce emissions to air, water and soil • Design for better use of materials ° ° ° ° Reduce weight and volume of product Increase use of recycled materials Increase use of renewable/sustainable materials Increase incorporation of used components • Design for manufacture ° Reduce energy consumption Eco-design parameters to be used as design drivers • • • • • Weight and volume of product Quantity and nature of consumables Use of recycled materials Incorporation of used components Life cycle energy consumption Emissions to air, water and soil Use of substances classified as hazardous in accordance with 67/548/EEC as amended by 2004/73/EC, 76/769/EEC and 2002/95/EC Amount of waste generated anticipated emissions to air, water or soil • • expected generation of waste material anticipated pollution through physical effects such as noise, vibration, radiation, electromagnetic fields • No specific parameters specified, but these aspects are controlled through other legislation Ease for reuse and recycling Avoidance of design aspects detrimental to reuse and recycling Extension of lifetime possibilities for reuse, recycling and recovery of materials • and/or of energy taking into account Directive 2002/96/EC • on WEEE • Table 2: Environmental aspects and design parameters in the EuP Directive Conformity february 2009

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Conformity Magazine - February 2009 Contents Editor's Note FCC Clarifies Closed Captioning Requirements for DTV Receivers Commission Cracks Down (For the Fifth Time!) On Junk Fax Marketer FDA Requests Comments on Global Harmonization Documents Australia Now Requires Solar Panel Testing and Certification EU Drafting New Directive on Toy Safety EU Commission Revises Standards List for EMC, R&TTE Directives Additional Standards Published For the EU's Medical Devices Directive EU Commission Publishes Additional Standards for Directives on Active Implantable, In Vitro Medical Devices EMC For the Functional Safety of Automobiles ESD Open Forum The ILAC Arrangement: Facilitating Trade Efficient Methodology for the EMI Analysis of Optical Transceivers Including PCBs and/or Flex Circuits The EuP Directive - Implementation, Design Requirements and Issues Chambers, Shielding, and Accessories Buyer's Guide CPSIA Lead Requirements Apply to Existing Inventory, Says CPSC CPSC Clarifies Certifcation Requirements Other CPSC Actions in the News IEC Standards Update Product Reviews UL standards Update Telcordia Standards Update From Our "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department Looking Back: Items from Past Issues of Conformity Advertisers

Conformity Magazine - February 2009

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