Business Group Seeks to Ease Mounting Compliance Costs

The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and the Electronic Components, Assemblies and Materials Association are working in partnership with a non-profit standards organization to help electronic component manufacturers compete by lowering the burden of environmental regulations and corporate red tape.

The Electronic Components Certification Board, Inc. (ECCB) recently held its semi-annual board of directors meeting at EIA, bringing together executives from companies of all sizes and all parts of the world to tackle the growing environmental compliance costs affecting the electronics industry.

Businesses are scrambling to deal with new environmental regulations.  On Jan. 24th, President Bush signed an executive order stating that at least 95% of computers purchased by federal agencies must meet a new environmentally friendly standard, known as IEEE1680.  And last year the European Union (EU) implemented the "restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment" or RoHS directive, setting a new environmental standard for products sold in EU nations.

"The European Union created the requirements, but the U.S. is leading the way with the solution," said ECCB President Stan Salot.

Scores of different compliance approaches have emerged, confronting those at all parts of the supply chain with paperwork and testing regimes that vary dramatically from company to company.  To reduce that burden, EIA and the ECCB developed the QC 80000 compliance protocol – a standard process applicable to companies of all sizes.  Salot said that, while QC 80000 adoption has been on the rise, too many medium- and small-businesses are still having products tested by every company they deal with.

"Testing is expensive, time-consuming and the value isn't there," Salot said.  "Standards offer a far easier and efficient way to demonstrate compliance."

The need for standards is most prevalent in the United States and Europe.  In Asia, a uniform standardization process has already been implemented and use of the QC 80000 is common, giving those companies a leg up on their global competitors.

"Environmental compliance in today's market is a high-stakes affair," Salot said.  "If you don't take the right steps now you're putting your business at risk."

The ECCB serves as the U.S. body of the International Electrotechnical Commission's certification program for electronic components, processes and related materials (IECQ), an internationally recognized conformity assessment program.  Its board is made up of small and medium-sized components makers as well as the companies they supply, including Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Phillips Semiconductors.