> A chemist friend called me this weekend and asked if I had ever heard of a > European "ECO" requirement.
Hi Ed, How about the European eco-label ? The requirements for labeling a computers with the "daisy mark" are listed in: 1999/205/EC: Commission Decision of 26 February 1999 establishing ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label to personal computers http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/lif/dat/1999/en_399D0205.html > His company makes polymer resins, and sells to > molders in Europe who do injection molding of computer housings. He said the > molders seemed to think "ECO" involved some kind of EMC/RFI requirement. Probably a recycling concern. EMC countermeasures might make the computer housing difficult to recycle. The section probably most interesting to your friend is : "BEST PRACTICE CRITERIA 4. Take-back and recycling The manufacturer shall guarantee the take-back of the personal computer and of components being replaced, except for items contaminated by users (e.g. in medical or nuclear applications). In addition, the personal computer shall meet the following criteria: 1. one trained person, alone, shall be able to dismantle the system unit; 2. the manufacturer shall check the disassembly of the system unit and provide a disassembly report. Amongst others, the report shall confirm that joints are: - easy to find and accessible, - as standardised as possible, - accessible with all-purpose tools; 3. incompatible and hazardous materials shall be separable; 4. 90 % of plastic and metal materials in the housing and chassis shall be recyclable; 5. if labels are required, they shall be easily separable or inherent; 6. plastic parts shall: (a) have no lead or cadmium added by the manufacturer; (b) be of one polymer or compatible polymers, except for the cover which shall consist of no more than 2 types of polymer which are separable; (c) contain no metal inlays that cannot be separated; 7. plastic parts heavier than 25 grams shall: (a) not contain flame retardants that contain organically bound bromine or chlorine; (b) have a permanent marking identifying the material, in conformity with ISO 11469. Excluded from this criterion are extruded plastic materials." Hope this helps. Regards, Matt --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] (the list administrators).
