Kingstate Sound Components Piezo Buzzer Magnetic Buzzer Mirco Speaker Dynamic Receiver Electret Condenser Mircophone Earphone

The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was agreed upon 28 countries in Vienna in 1985 and entered into force in 1987. It acts as a framework for the international efforts to protect the ozone layer. However, it does not include legally binding reduction goals for the use of CFCs, the main chemical agents causing ozone depletion. These are laid out in the accompanying Montreal Protocol.

The Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (commonly referred to as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive or RoHS) was adopted in February 2003 by the European Union. The RoHS directive took effect on 1 July 2006, and is required to be enforced and become law in each member state. This directive restricts the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. It is closely linked with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) which sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electrical goods and is part of a legislative initiative to solve the problem of huge amounts of toxic e-waste.

Many multinational companies have revealed their executions and requirements for Green products. For example, SONY GP Plan and SS-00259 environmental management substances control regulations; Microsoft H00594 and H00642; HITACHI the green procurement guideline etc.

RoHS Directive

On the 1st July 2006 the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 implementing the European Directive came fully into force. These regulations restrict the use of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBE and PBDE in electronic and electrical equipment covered by the regulations. Producers and importers into the European Union are responsible for ensuring that their products comply with the regulations and that that they maintain evidence of that compliance for inspection by the enforcement authority.

WEEE Directive

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) aims to set collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods. The WEEE Directive has been transposed in national laws and become effective. The manufacturers became financially responsible for the compliance to the WEEE directive since 13 August 2005. By the end of 2006 - and with one or two years' delay for the new EU members - every country has to recycle at least 4 kg of e-waste per capita.

1985

Vienna, 28 countries, Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

September 16, 1987

Montreal Canada, 26 countries, Montreal Protocol (in reducing the emissions of ozone-depleting substances)

September 16, 1987

Montreal Canada, 26 countries, Montreal Protocol (in reducing the emissions of ozone-depleting substances)

June, 1990

London, the Second Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, CFC, Carbon Tetrachloride and 1,1,1-trichloroethane are phasing out by the year 2000

October, 2001

Sri Lanka Colombo, the 13th meeting, the protocol is further amended to add hydrochlorofluorocarbons(HCFCs), hydro-bromofluorocarbons (HBFCs), and methyl bromide to the chemicals to be phased out and decided the production control and the phasing-out timeline

2003

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) is the European Community directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment which, together with the RoHS Directive, became European Law in February 2003, setting collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods

August, 2004

The WEEE Directive obliged the twenty-five EU member states to transpose its provisions into national law by 13 August 2004

July, 2006

EU RoHS Directive is fully implemented and effective from July 1, 2007. It restricts the use of the following six substances: Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent chromium (chromium xxx or Cr6+), Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). The maximum concentrations are 0.1% or 1000 ppm (except for cadmium, which is limited to 0.01% or 100 ppm) by weight of homogeneous material.

January, 2007

California's RoHS regulations became effective on January 1, 2007.

March, 2007

The first in-force date for China RoHS is March 1, 2007.

July, 2007

The UK Regulations implementing the WEEE Directive were laid before Parliament on 12 December 2006 and enter into force on 2 January 2007. Full responsibility for treating and recycling household WEEE began on 1 July 2007. WEEE Directive aims to minimize the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment, by increasing re-use and recycling and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill.

January, 2008

The newest RoHS was set in motion by Korea on April 2. The compliance date is Jan. 1, 2008. The Korea restrictions are more prescriptive than the WEEE directive for recycling. The intent is to start recycling with products in electronic and electrical such as PCs, TVs, and copy and fax machines.

EU Amends RoHS Directive

RoHS goes into effect on July1, 2007. Under RoHS, a "producer" may not placein the EU market new electrical and electronic equipment that contains any of the six banned substances (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBE, and PBDE) in quantities exceeding maximum concentration values. The directive does not apply to certain exemptions and the exemption list is increasing.

Timeline of EU RoHS Directive

Time

Activity

May 2001

First reading of the Directives in European Parliament

April 2002

Second Reading of the Directives -over 100 amendments considered

December 2002

Formal adoption of the Directives by Member States

February 13th 2003

RoHS & WEEE Directives released in EU Official Journal (OJ)

March 31st 2003

First UK discussion paper issued

May 30th 2003

End of first consultation

August 1st 2003

Results of first consultation

March 1st 2004

Deadline for responses to second consultation

Spring 2004

Final consultation on draft regulations and non-statutory guidance

Summer 2004

Producers to commence WEEE registration

August 13th 2004

The Directives transposed into law in each of the Member States (failure to do so will result in financial penalties)

August 13th 2005

Producer Financial Obligations (WEEE) come into force

July 1st 2006

RoHS Directive is enforced

December 31st 2006

Member states to meet recycling targets (WEEE)

Kingstate Environmental Principle

Item		Restricted Substances	NO	Mental Limits by Weight (ppm)	Plastic Limits by Weight (ppm)	Symbol
Heavy Mental	Heavy Mental	Lead	1	< 1000	< 1000	Pb
		Cadmium	2	< 100	< 100	Cd
		Mercury	3	< 1000	< 1000	Hg
		Hexavalent Chromium	4	< 1000	< 1000	Cr+6
Others	Polybromo-biphenyl Compounds	Polybrominated Biphenyls	5	< 1000	< 1000	PBB
Others	Polybromo-biphenyl Compounds	Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers	6	< 1000	< 1000	PBDE

Note：

ppm = parts per million, unit of measurement for weight
percentage. 1 ppm = 1 mg/kg =0.0001 % by weight.

Note：

Kingstate will follow above regulations to develop green
products unless customers have specific needs.

Note：

Wire and PCB will be classified to plastics category.

Applications are exempted from the requirements:
1. Lead in electronic ceramic parts
　(eg. piezoelectronic devices)
2. Lead as an alloying element:

Type of Alloy	Allowable Content of Lead
Steel	Less than 0.35wt% (3500ppm)
Aluminum Alloy	Less than 0.4wt% (4000ppm)
Copper Alloy	Less than 4wt% (40000ppm)