European Initiatives Seek to Eradicate Hazardous Substances

Concern for the environment and preservation of life has caused several environmental rules and regulations, also called directives. The directives serve to eliminate certain hazardous materials used by the automotive and electronics industries.

When they're no longer useful, cars and electronic equipment typically go to junkyards or waste dumps. Unfortunately many places often lack an environmental procedure to correctly process materials. Unprocessed materials can turn into hazardous waste, which erodes and mixes into the environment and can contaminate water and soil.

In an effort to eliminate this problem, Europe introduced two directives to reduce the amount of toxic materials entering the environment. The directives start by limiting the amount of certain toxic substances allowed in a manufactured product. In addition, the directives address the recyclability of the manufactured product.

ELV and RoHS

End of Life Vehicle (ELV) and Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) are the latest European directives. Non-European producers and resellers must comply with the directives if they plan to export to Europe.

RoHS restricts six substances and the list is expected to grow as scientific research provides less toxic alternatives. The ELV directive states that manufactures and resellers of automobiles must follow specific guidelines for new vehicle production. For more information about ELV and RoHS, see The New Standards of Excellence.

The removal of these hazardous materials will eventually eradicate environmental damage. Other countries are considering and implementing similar directives that will change the automotive and electronics industries.

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