VTG, the parent company of Horizon Music Inc. and Rapco International, reports that it will be in compliance with Europe’s newest environmental codes, Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE), scheduled to be in effect July 1, 2006.
“In 1986, California passed Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, which lists hundreds of chemicals that are considered hazardous to a person’s health,” states Ron Reed, VTG’s president of the wiring and cable division. “If a product that can be touched by the human hand contains any of these chemicals, manufacturers will be required to place a warning label on the product notifying the California consumer that it contains substances that are harmful to their health. Recognizing the need to protect our environment and address the health concern issues, we made the choice to create LCF [lead- and cadmium-free] products.
“This is a huge undertaking for many manufacturers because lead and cadmium are very prevalent substances, used in many different products,” continues Reed. “Those compounds are used in everything, everywhere. In addition to California and Massachusetts, Europe plans to ban lead completely from all products, not just wiring and cables. Many companies need to make major changes in their production.”
RoHS deals with the types of materials that are used in manufacturing electrical and electronic equipment. WEEE deals with end-of-life management of electrical and electronic equipment (e.g., take back and recycling of used computers and equipment). RoHS forbids the use of certain chemicals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and certain brominated flame retardants as of July 1, 2006.
Visit www.rapco.com or www.horizonmusic.com for more information.
