The Draft EC Directives have been with us for some time. Schneider Electric has applied significant energy and resource on a global basis to ensure that it met and exceeded its RoHS obligations well in advance of the compliance deadline of 01 July 2006. It was also ready in all respects to comply with the requirements of WEEE Directive when enacted in the UK:
The company has undertaken a global programme to prepare for the requirements set out in RoHS legislation. While it has prioritised its actions to ensure that all affected product ranges within the initial scope comply with the requirements of RoHS, a large percentage being already compliant.
The restricted substances (Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, PBBs, PBDEs and Chromium 6) have either been eradicated entirely or reduced to a level far below the amount allowed by legislation. Those that required modification have had this completed with no loss of operational performance characteristic or safety parameters.
Discussions continue in Industry about whether there is validity in marking the product as RoHS-compliant, as it is not a legal requirement. For the time being, Schneider Electric products which are RoHS compliant will continue to be identified by date code, and it is not envisaged that any part numbers will change because of this legislation.
We have produced a database of Schneider Electric products within scope of RoHS, showing the necessary information by Product Reference Number, to enable you to make an informed choice, and this is now in the public domain: www.schneider.co.uk/rohs
In addition to the above, Schneider Electric has taken the decision, based on a Corporate commitment to promote sound principles of Environment Management and Sustainability on a global basis, to ensure that henceforth all new products launched by Schneider Electric, whether in scope or not, will be RoHS compliant from the outset.
In practical terms this means that Schneider will continue to deliver high quality products with the necessary declarations of conformity, with no change to the level of customer service. As stated previously, it is not envisaged that any part numbers will change, and RoHS compliance identification will be managed by existing date code.
WEEE Directive:
The number of Schneider Electric products that fall initially within the scope of the Directive/UK Draft Legislation is comparatively small; Monitoring and Control Instruments, some Lighting Components and, possibly some Control Equipment used in a domestic environment, e.g. 'plug & play' components.
In company with the rest of industry Schneider Electric Limited has entered into a Compliance scheme which is managed by a well respected not-for-profit scheme set up specifically to deal with the specific aspects of WEEE Compliance: www.b2bcompliance.org.uk
Schneider Electric has completed much work in this area, and the affected products have been identified well before the implementation date. Examples of Environmental Profile for relevant products are available, which clearly demonstrates compliance with the requirement and spirit of the WEEE Directive.