NEWS STORIES

Below are the news stories that lie behind the headlines on Page 2. Many of them have been reproduced from other publications; and where this has been done there is an accreditation with a hyperlink to the original. Some of them have also been abbreviated here; and the hyperlink will give you access to the full details.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2007.

On Tuesday 11 December Malcolm Wicks laid the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2007 before the UK Parliament.

The Regulations, Non-statutory Guidance and a covering paper of explanation and progress report on the WEEE system can be accessed at http://www.berr.gov.uk/sectors/sustainability/weee/page30269.html.

Printed copies of the Regulations are available from The Stationary Office at www.tsoshop.co.uk

Low Voltage Directive changes lead to increased EMC testing.

The EU Commission has mandated Cenelec to take account of EMC-style phenomena during safety assessments

Historically the EMC and Low Voltage directives are applied in distinctly separate ways. However, with the increase in the use of electronic controls and the incorporation of standby modes into more and more commonly used appliances, the EU Commission has mandated Cenelec to alter this situation and take account of EMC-style phenomena during safety assessments.

The first of this new generation of standards is the current version of EN60335-1:2002/A2:2006 (equipment for domestic use, farms, shops etc) which covers abnormal situations that can be expected in practice and takes into account the way in which electromagnetic phenomena can affect the safe operation of appliances. This standard fully replaces its predecessor for LVD compliance in July 2008.

This article was originally published on Electronicstalk.

Read the full story here.

Final report for EuP working plan now available

The final report to the EU Commission on a study to prepare the first working plan for the Framework Directive on the Eco-design of Energy-using Products is now available from http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/eco_design/workingplan.htm

It is currently envisaged that the Commission will bring forward proposals based on this study in early 2008.

A brief summary of the study can be found at http://www.mtprog.com/ReferenceLibrary/EuP_Work_Plan_Dec_2007.ppt

Consultation Document on the Implementation of the Batteries and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accumulators Directive

Increasing the level of recycling and reducing some of the millions batteries that go to landfill annually are at the heart of plans published in a public consultation document today. The proposals look at the best way to improve the environmental performance of new batteries and ensure collection, treatment and recycling of them when they become waste. The proposals apply to all types of batteries, including rechargeables and batteries supplied within electrical items.

The UK Government and the Devolved Administrations are seeking the views of producers, distributors, collectors and recyclers of batteries and accumulators and items containing batteries and accumulators, and any other interested parties, on possible approaches for implementing provisions in the Directive relating to the production and sale of new batteries and accumulators, and the collection, treatment, recycling and disposal of waste batteries and accumulators.

The consultation document can be found at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/consultations/page43278.html

Barroso: Europe leads the way on sustainability

Europe is leading "from the front" in the drive to create a more sustainable society, the president of the European Union has declared. José Manuel Barroso praised the EU's efforts to build a sustainable society

Speaking at the Global Jean Monnet Conference 2007, in Brussels, José Manuel Barroso said the EU was building sustainability into every area of its work. The annual conference brings together policy makers, academics and other delegates from around the world to discuss European integration, and this year the two-day event put the spotlight on one of the EU's major challenges - how best to promote sustainable development.

Mr Barroso told the conference: "I want to make it very clear that Europe is assuming its responsibilities. "It is leading the way - leading by example and leading from the front." He said the fight against climate change is a core dimension of sustainable development and pointed to the EU's targets to create a low-carbon economy as evidence of its leadership in this field.

"I am proud to say that the European Union is the prime mover on climate change," and "I believe this is a historic turning-point for Europe because it opens the way to a third industrial revolution. There is a widespread consensus that we must pursue the road towards a low-carbon society."

He appealed to other industrialised nations to follow Europe's example first, but added that developing countries would also have to be helped and encouraged to reduce their emissions. He said: "We have a common responsibility with developing countries, of course, but there can be no one-size-fits-all policy when those who will suffer the most from global warming are also those who most lack the resources to counteract its effects."

Mr Barroso said the EU would back the UN framework at Bali and keep applying pressure to reach an ambitious global agreement on tackling climate change by 2009.

Kate Martin from edie newsroom.

E.U. Commission reports Dangerous Products.

Over the past few weeks five Member States have sent the E.U. Commission reports of at least nine different dangerous electrical products that have been placed on the market, with the Hungarian authorities reporting a third of those.

The actions taken by each Member state in all cases was a product withdrawal from the market. In addition in most cases there was also a product recall from the consumers and in two cases, both in Hungary, the importer was fined by the authorities.

It should be noted that in all but two of the cases the products originated from CHINA. This shows that all Member states need to establish a pro-active and effective regulatory surveilance scheme, not only to protect their citizens from these dangerous products, but also to ensure that non-compliant products do not gain an unfair competitive advantage.

The details of these dangerous products are listed below.

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• GRUNDIG Hair Drier Model HD 5580.
• The product poses a risk of fire & does not comply with the Low Voltage Directive
• Greek authorities allowed Voluntary withdrawal from the market and recall from consumers by the importer

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• Dimension Angle grinder DM/AG230-160
• The product originated from CHINA
• The product poses a risk of electric shock & does not comply with Machinery Directive.
• The Hungarian authorities imposed a fine & demanded withdrawal from the market and recall from consumers.

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• Denver DVD player DVD-736K and CYBER NOK-3310 Battery charger
• The latter product originated from CHINA
• The products pose a serious risk of electric shock and do not comply with the Low Voltage Directive.
• The Finish authorities ordered a Sales ban, withdrawal from the market and recall from consumers. Press releases have been issued in both cases.

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• Spiked garden spotlight SPG102 from NINGBO MENGYE ELECTRIC APPLIANCES and “Baya” halogen lamp from Eglo
• Both products originated from China
• The products pose a serious risk of electric shock and do not comply with the Low Voltage Directive
• In both cases the French authorities allowed a voluntary withdrawal from the market by the importer

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• Comander Outdoor lamp Model 16921
• The product originated from CHINA
• The product poses a serious risk of fire and burns, and does not comply with the Low Voltage Directive.
• Withdrawal from the market was ordered by the Spanish authorities

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• MANS FRIEND Circular saw model: MF/CS185D-828 and STRAUS AUSTRIA Electric planer model: ST/PL822-903
• Both products originated from CHINA
• These products pose a risk of both electric shock and injury, with the latter also posing a risk of fire.
• The products do not comply with Machinery Directive.
• The Hungarian authorities ordered a Sales ban, withdrawal from the market and recall from consumers. In the latter case they also ordered a fine.

EU plans to tackle standby

European Union members have discussed plans to reduce the amount of energy used by appliances left on standby.

The EU's Ecodesign Consultation Forum held its second meeting to review actions which could be introduced under the European Commission's Ecodesign Directive. Proposals under discussion included a requirement to reduce the power consumption of new appliances when turned off or in standby mode to just one watt within a year of implementing the regulations. Manufacturers would then have to reduce this further to just 0.5 watts within three years if the current plans are adopted by the EU.

However, a working document reviewed by the forum set out exemptions for equipment which continues to provide information or a status display while it is in standby mode. Equipment would be tested by authorities in EU's members states to ensure it complied with the rules.

EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs said: "Our aim is to use the Ecodesign Directive (EuP) to drastically reduce standby electricity consumption by household and office products. "This is an important contribution to reach the energy efficiency and climate protection targets agreed at the March council, as well as to save citizens money."

It is expected that any measures introduced by the EU will also affect other parts of the world, as many of the targeted products - such as televisions, computers and radios - are sold worldwide. The Ecodesign Directive (EuP), adopted by the European Parliament and Council in 2005, established EU-wide rules for designing environmentally-friendly energy-using products.

Kate Martin from edie newsroom

IEC initiative brings energy to lithium-ion battery safety

By any measure, the photograph of an exploding laptop at a conference in Japan was dramatic. The Inquirer, an online technology publication, posted the photo and an accompanying story on 21 June 2006. In the picture, conference attendees watched as flames reached higher than the backs of nearby chairs, obscuring the laptop and stretching down the tablecloth. A few months later that incident and others prompted a voluntary recall by Dell Computer Company of 4.1 million Dell-branded lithium-ion batteries with cells manufactured by Sony.

Laptops were designed so people could use their laps as a tabletop. Can body heat raise the temperature in a lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery enough to spark an explosion? What about cell phones and iPods tucked away in pockets? “As you’re jamming more and more active material into a smaller and smaller space, that increases the potential for a unfavorable event,” comments Robin Sarah Tichy, Technical Marketing Manager for Micro Power Electronics, a custom battery pack designer for medical, military, and industrial equipment, These sectors, explains Tichy tend to adopt the safest advances first.

International standards for a global market

Inspired in part by the 2006 Li-Ion recalls, the IEC will take a fresh look at current international standards for Li-Ion battery safety. For starters, the IEC commissioned a project team during a meeting in Beijing. Next, the group will review and, if necessary, modify the safety document for Li-Ion cells and batteries – IEC 62133 – titled, Secondary Cells and Batteries Containing Alkaline or Other Non-Acid Electrolytes – Safety requirements for Portable Sealed Secondary Cells, and For Batteries Made from Them, for use in Portable Applications.

By Jeanne Erdmann

IEC Webstore

Read the full story here

Cobra beer hit with £25k recycling fine

The producers of Cobra beer have been ordered to pay over £25,000 for failing to meet a legal requirement to take responsibility for its waste.

Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations Regulations, businesses with a turnover of over £2m that produce over 50 tonnes of packaging are obliged to sign up to an Environment Agency-registered compliance scheme which helps members meet their responsibilities.

The agency alleged that Cobra had failed to meet these responsibilities by failing to recover and recycle over 1,000 tonnes of packaging waste. The beer company entered a guilty plee before magistrates in Hendon, north London, last week and was fined £25,800. The case related to failings during the three year period from 2003 to 2005.

The Regulations are designed to ensure companies assess the amount of packaging they use and, where possible, limit their consumption. For the packaging remaining, companies are expected to invest in the recycling industry.

Details of the regulations are available in trade journals, through trade organisations and online but according to the EA many businesses remain unaware of their responsibilities, resulting in packaging waste potentially being landfilled rather than being recycled.

Environment Agency officer Sarah Dover said: "The money raised from compliance with this legislation goes directly to the recycling industry and the failure by this company to ensure they met their responsibilities means that there was less investment in the recycling industry than there should have been. "There is information available to businesses to ensure they meet their environmental responsibility. It is important companies take this responsibility seriously to stop the tonnes of packaging piling up in the UK's shrinking landfill sites."

Cobra beer was set up by Cambridge graduate and chartered accountant Karan Bilimoria in 1989, then 27 and £20,000 in debt.

Sam Bond from edie newsroom

Read the full story here

Business battery recycling service launched.

A new nationwide service which could play an important role in helping the UK meet its EU Battery Directive targets has been launched in Birmingham. West-Midlands based firm G&P Batteries has unveiled a pre-paid collection service called a "Battbox" to capture portable waste batteries from businesses, which are otherwise thrown in the bin.

Supported by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the service is expected to help the UK boost its current 3% recycling rate for portable cells by capturing thousands of tonnes of batteries used in the commercial sector. At present, WRAP is conducting trials to find the best way of collecting portable batteries from households (see letsrecycle.com story). However, it does not expect that these alone will be enough to meet targets to recycle 25% of cells by 2012 and 45% by 2016, so the focus has also turned to businesses.

Speaking at the launch, G&P managing director Michael Green said: "One of the major issues facing the UK is a lack of awareness of the need to recycle waste batteries.

Read the full story here

IECEE Gulf Region expansion: Saudi Arabia and UAE join IECEE

End of 2007 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization - SASO) and the United Arab Emirates (the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology - ESMA) became the first states from the Gulf Region to join the IECEE, the International Electrotechnical Commission's system of conformity assessment schemes for electrotechnical equipment and components.

IECEE Executive Secretary, Pierre de Ruvo, said: "It's important to see states from this region beginning to join up because they're able to help their growing local industries export while protecting their own domestic market from non-conforming products. Their joining signals two things: first, we are seeing growth of manufacturing in the region and the economy is preparing for this by ensuring that IEC standards are used. Second, consumers in this part of the world are going to benefit in knowing that imported electrical and electronic goods will be safe to use because people know they've been successfully tested and measured against IEC standards.

Read the full story here

English WEEE collection arrangements almost complete

Almost all English waste disposal authorities have now signed up a producer compliance scheme to take household waste electronic goods, or are close to finalising arrangements, the government has said. The industry minister Lord Jones of Birmingham published a list of authorities for his parliamentary colleagues stating those councils who have "either already finalised or are in the process of finalising arrangements with producer compliance schemes for WEEE to be cleared".

Just a handful of councils are still to arrange partnerships with producer schemes to cover the costs of recycling WEEE. The handful of disposal authorities who weren't on the list have told letsrecycle.com that they are expecting to be signed up with a scheme soon.

Lord Jones' list included all English disposal authorities except Halton borough council, Warrington borough council, North East Lincolnshire council, Solihull council and the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority.

All 121 English disposal authorities have registered civic amenity sites or transfer stations as "designated collection facilities" under this year's new WEEE Regulations. Householders can hand in unwanted electrical appliances free of charge at these sites, and the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is then taken away by producer compliance schemes to be recycled. The system effectively makes manufacturers and importers - via the schemes - pay for the collection and recycling of household WEEE.

Since the regulations came into force on July 1, it has taken some time for all the arrangements to be put in place, but the statement from Lord Jones signals the final stages of household WEEE collection systems being put in place. Those local authorities that do not have a producer compliance scheme in place will be able to claim costs of recycling collected household WEEE from the government's Settlement Centre (see letsrecycle.com story) until they have a scheme in place.

Full Story from letsrecycle.com

Electronic Stability Control to improve safety of trucks and coaches

The safety of European registered trucks and tourist coaches will be greatly improved as a result of an agreement reached at a United Nations meeting in Geneva to equip new vehicles with electronic stability control systems. Electronic stability control (ESC) avoids accidents by helping the driver maintain control of the vehicle in critical situations. It is estimated that equipping these vehicles with ESC system could ultimately save over 500 deaths and 2500 serious injuries per year in the European Union.

European Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, stated: "This development is very welcome. The introduction of ESC was one of the key recommendations of the CARS 21 High Level Group and I am glad that this is now being implemented. These advanced systems have a huge life-saving potential, particularly for large goods and passenger vehicles where the consequences of an accident can be devastating."

ESC systems act on the braking or power systems of a vehicle to assist the driver to maintain control of the vehicle in a critical situation (caused, for example, by poor road conditions or excessive speed during cornering). They usually act by sensing wheel slip in individual wheels and reducing power or applying braking to one or more wheels to regain stability. As well as preventing casualties, the widespread use of ESC in vehicles could significantly reduce the traffic congestion caused by accidents involving large vehicles.

Read the full story here.

Joan Ruddock welcomes collaboration with major retailers.

Further incentives to phase out energy-intensive consumer electronics products that cost consumers and the environment dearly will be examined as the result of renewed close co-operation between major UK retailers and the Government, Minister for Climate Change Joan Ruddock said.

"Britain has led the way in phasing out inefficient lightbulbs. I'm proud of this achievement and want to see it taken to a new level with all the electrical products we see in stores, Ruddock said.

"In 2006, consumer electronics used 15 per cent of the UK's total domestic electricity consumption - and this has the potential to double between now and 2020. Switching to more efficient products will make a dramatic difference, both to consumers' bank balances and to the UK's CO2 emissions. I want to begin the switch off in inefficient products. Our retailers have a crucial role to play in offering greener choices to consumers, and I am greatly encouraged by their clear commitment to work up this initiative."

Hosting the meeting with key names from the UK's retailers, the British Retail Consortium and energy suppliers, Joan Ruddock emphasised the importance of working with the industry to take forward government plans to improve performance standards, phase out energy inefficient products and promote energy efficient choices to consumers in a drive to slash CO2 emissions by up to 1MtCO2 a year.

Recognising the crucial role of manufacturers in this Initiative, Joan Ruddock pledged to convene a summit of manufacturers to build on this commitment. The meeting is planned for January and will be hosted by Intellect, the trade association for the UK technology industry.

The EU is expected to bring forward its proposals for consumer electronics under the Framework Directive for the Eco-design of Energy Using Products (the EUP Directive). Implementing measures will set specific and potentially compulsory standards for several of the least efficient products destined for the European market in order that they meet energy efficiency, as well as other, requirements. Proposals are due to be agreed by the end of 2009.

Read full story here

ITU World Radiocommunication Conference concludes after four weeks

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07) concluded its deliberations with the adoption of an international treaty to meet the global demand for radio-frequency spectrum. Over 2800 delegates representing 164 Member States and 104 Observers attended the four-week Conference, marked by intense negotiations on the future of wireless communications. Rapid technological developments and growth in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector have fuelled the demand for spectrum.

The international treaty, known as Radio Regulations governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits were revised and updated by WRC-07 to achieve the global connectivity goals of the 21st Century. Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of ITU, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the Conference. "WRC-07 represents a major landmark for the future growth of the ICT industry, and everyone will benefit from the digital dividend that will emerge as a result of this Conference," he said.

"There is a convergence of the needs of developing countries and developed countries to reduce the digital divide and this is the main success of this WRC-07 conference," said Mr François Rancy, Chairman of WRC-07. "The Regional Groups fully collaborated to produce the spectrum identification for IMT — the concept that embraces advanced broadband mobile technology for use on a global basis."

Read full story here

The six most competitive manufacturing sectors in Europe

The six most competitive manufacturing sectors in the EU-25 are pharmaceuticals, machinery and equipment, aircraft and spacecraft, non-metallic mineral products, printing and publishing, and scientific instruments concludes a new Commission study EU industrial structure 2007 - Challenges and opportunities analyzing the competitiveness of the EU economy from a sectoral perspective on the basis of export figures in the EU and the World. The six leading sectors account for 34% of total manufacturing exports. At the bottom of the ranking are radio and television receivers, electronic valves and tubes, office machinery, clothing, textiles, other instruments, railroad and other transport equipment and basic metals.

Relative to an aggregate of industrialised countries, EU competitiveness in manufacturing is reasonably positive. As regards EU performance in market services, the data give a much less positive view of EU competitiveness, with in general lower growth rates, linked with weaker productivity performance.

Read full story here

Pints and miles will not disappear due to European Commission proposal.

(Editors Comment - Although more a story concerning metrology than Product Compliance, we thought our readers would find it very interesting!)

The United Kingdom and Ireland will be allowed to keep units like the pint of beer and milk - and miles, yards, feet and inches on roads.

The proposal is also important for the current trade relations with the United States as the European Commission has proposed to indefinitely extend the use of supplementary indications next to metric units.. The Commission proposal is based on the results of a public consultation in early 2007, which underlined the smooth functioning of the Directive 80/181/EEC. It allows that both metric and other measurements can continue to be used in the UK and Ireland, if so desired.

Vice President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, said: “Our proposal will stabilise the current application of EU law, which has worked well over 27 years. Extending supplementary indications indefinitely is supported by EU industry and sends a clear signal to our US counterparts that the EU favours a trading environment free of barriers. [In return, I hope that the USA will also accept metric-only labelled goods on its territory.]

This proposal also honours the culture and traditions of Great-Britain and Ireland, which are important to the European Commission.”

Read the full story here.

Smaller WEEE tackled by Manchester firm

Manchester firm Axion Recycling has invested £500,000 to develop pioneering separation techniques which remove plastics from small electrical items - believed to be one of the first UK companies to do so. The firm operates a £3.5 million state-of-the-art site in Salford, near Manchester, which already separates plastics from large WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) such as fridges (see letsrecycle.com story).

But Axion Recycling commercial director Roger Morton said the company is now trialling technology to remove polymers from smaller WEEE items such as hairdryers and toasters. He said he knew of no other firms in the UK or Northern Europe which were making the same commitment to pilot separation technology when it came to smaller electrical items. He also stated: "It is mixed small WEEE which is the biggest challenge at the moment and we need to recycle it to hit European targets. Our research takes forward the knowledge on how to process a complicated waste stream that is mostly being exported to China at present. This creates further opportunities for design, planning and investment in new secondary material processing plants in the UK, such as our own at Salford," he continued.

Under the European WEEE Directive, which came into effect in July 2007, the UK must recycle a set amount of waste electrical equipment each year. Local authorities are given recycling targets to help the UK meet its obligations under the Directive and by extracting plastics from WEEE, it helps boost these rates.

The complexities of the treatment process arise because of the different types material found in small WEEE - a range of different plastics make up around 30% of small electrical goods. Axion has pledged to separate the different components and offer high-grade polymers which can be used in injection mouldings as well as the manufacture of thin film sheets.

The technology is expected to be up-and-running within the next four months and will increase capacity at the Salford facility from 8,000 tonnes a year to 14,000 tonnes. The site's equipment also includes a plastics shredder and an extruder.

ETS-Lindgren Acquires TILE!™ EMC Software

ETS-Lindgren, a subsidiary of ESCO Technologies (NYSE: ESE) has announced the acquisition of the TILE!™ software from Quantum Change, Inc.

“TILE!™ is a great strategic fit for ETS-Lindgren,” said ETS-Lindgren President, Bruce Butler. “Many of our EMC customers are already TILE!™ users. They like its ability to integrate their lab instrumentation and perform complex test routines, without having to become programmers. TILE!™’s simple drag-and-drop interface makes it easy."

The leadership of both Quantum Change and ETS-Lindgren approved the transaction. ETS-Lindgren will support existing TILE!™ customers, and plans to increase resources for continued product development and improvement. “We respect TILE!™’s success and appreciate it’s loyal customer base,” said Butler. “We plan to continue to invest in the development of TILE!™ to make it a more valuable tool for EMC labs."

CLICK HERE for more information on ETS-Lindgren's offering of TILE!™

or visit: www.ets-lindgren.com/tile.

£1m expansion for Lancashire metal recycling firm

Lancashire electronics and metal recycling firm Recycling.co.uk has announced plans to diversify into reprocessing glass and WEEE-derived plastics following a £1 million expansion programme.

Recycling.co.uk is transferring its CRT recycling line to its new facility to make room for a glass crushing plant

The Preston-based company already has two facilities in the city - one in the Red Scar Industrial Estate, where metals and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is recycled and a second in Kent Street, which is the base for its vehicle recycling arm, Autobreakers.co.uk.

It has bought another site at the Roman Way Industrial Estate near Longridge, just outside Preston. As well as housing its computer refurbishment business, Recycling.co.uk will move its cathode ray tube (CRT) recycling line, for recycling computer monitors and TVs, from Red Scar to the new facility in Longridge.

This relocation of the CRT recycling line will free up space at Red Scar for a glass crushing line, which can process up to 45,000 tonnes of material each year. This will include material generated from the company's other recycling sectors, as well as bottles collected from pubs and clubs by community organisation EMPRISE Blackpool

Presently Recycling.co.uk cannot recycle the plastics taken from the electrical items but in the next few months, it plans to install its own extrusion lines to turn the WEEE-derived plastic into pellets. This will require additional investment on top of the £1 million expansion. Mr Jackson explained: "We are also keen to close the loop on recycled plastics by developing our own manufacturing capability, so we will soon be installing two new polymer extrusion lines here on the Roman Way site and we expect them to become fully operational early in 2008."

Full Story from letsrecycle.com

Guide explains wireless compliance.

A free guide and checklist explains the requirements and routes to compliance under the R&TTE Directive. As increasing numbers of products are designed and deployed with wireless functionality, the need for correct testing and evaluation is becoming more critical than ever. It underpins regulatory compliance statements. To help both manufacturers and importers of wireless equipment, TRL Compliance and KTL - sister companies in the TRAC Global group - have produced a free guide and checklist that explains the requirements and routes to compliance.

The guide includes information about: CE marking (on the product and on packaging); class identifiers; warning signs (alert symbols); and declaration and notification (of certain categories of radio equipment).

Full story from electronicstalk.com