Bannockburn, IL. IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) will host a conference series on “Critical and Emerging Environmental Product Requirements” this June.
The conference series, to be held in the Boston, Chicago, and Silicon Valley areas on June 6, 8, and 10, respectively, will feature well-known United Kingdom regulators Steve Andrews, head of the product regulation and producer responsibility team at the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), and Dave Symons, contract manager at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
Keynote speakers Andrews and Symons, who oversee development and UK implementation and enforcement of European Union (EU) regulations affecting the electronics industry, will provide updates on EU regulations such as Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), and proposed conflict-minerals legislation.
In addition to the keynotes, the conference will feature a U.S. regulatory wrap-up by ITI and IPC staff. Presentations on China environmental issues, including RoHS II, will be followed by a panel of electronic supply chain panel members and other representatives discussing alternatives assessment—including the positive or negative impacts of substituting materials in products—and how to manage materials deselection based on assessments. The panels will feature industry experts from EMC Corp., U.S. EPA, Seagate Technologies, Molex Inc., Amphenol TCS, Purdue University, Isola Group SARL, and TURI.
“Coping with global environmental compliance requirements is a difficult task. Just when you think you understand what is needed, new developments appear seemingly from nowhere,” said Fern Abrams, IPC director of regulatory affairs and government relations. “For example, the recently redefined meaning of ‘article’ as applied to the REACH regulation significantly impacts manufacturers of electrical and electronic products sold in the EU. Simply misunderstanding the impact could be disastrous for your business. ITI and IPC’s conference will provide the information you and your company need to comply with legal, regulatory, and customer requirements.”