Last summer a somewhat obscure law went into effect for the European Union. Called RoHS, or Restriction of Hazardous Substances, the law has forced the global electronics industry to nearly eliminate use of Cadmium, hexavalent Chromium, Lead, Mercury, PBB and PBDE. The law applies only to EU nations, but the electronics industry has mostly converted to avoid using two different manufacturing processes.

Following the precedent set by RoHS, several other nations have introduced similar legislation. China was next with a law informally named China RoHS. The Chinese law covers the same metals and flame retardants, however it is substantially more restrictive in its implementation. Basically, China plans to accept no exemptions. The EU RoHS already has more than 20 exemptions in place.

These two laws are just the spearhead of a global shift of environmental attitudes toward industry. The trend is to demand greater responsibility from manufacturers for the pollution they cause. The 20th century saw the introduction of thousands of new chemical compounds with amazing uses, and very unexpected side effects. The environmental consequences of those largely unregulated chemical releases are now becoming apparent.

The EU has recognized that there was indeed an environmental impact from these new chemicals. RoHS is one of the political responses. Some in the industry have argued that the law will have no significant impact on pollution because the amounts of chemicals involved are so small. Other organizations disagree. Primitive metal reclamation operations in China and India release enormous amounts of toxic materials. And RoHS is just the start.

Korea, Brazil and South Africa are working on legislation similar to RoHS. Several states in the US are doing the same. While it will take time to see the impact, the trend appears to be toward preventing pollution. Rather than rubber stamp each new chemical compound that comes along, the new laws are demanding more information about toxicity and environmental impact. Better information always improves the final decision.

Nor is the change limited to regulations. The same climate that spawned RoHS has inspired a generation of scientists and engineers to search for more environmentally sound ways of producing the materials we find so useful. Green chemistry aims to use low-temperature, water-based processes to make compounds that are more like those created by living organisms. Bio-diesel excreted by tank grown algae has a much lower impact than drilling wells and operating refineries.

Within the electronics industry, RoHS has resulted in new electronic components that use fewer toxic materials and are easier to recycle. As more laws emerge, some more restrictive than RoHS, the reductions in pollution from electronic gadgets will continue to increase. While I doubt humans will ever have a zero environmental impact, we can certainly do a better job than we have done previously.

If you are interested in the technical side of the RoHS law, visit RoHSwell.com. I created this site to help engineers do the work necessary to comply with EU environmental laws.