Electronic data exchange standards and technology developments to support eco-compliance

The upcoming European Union RoHS and WEEE directives are driving new requirements for the management and exchange of information, both across the extended electronics manufacturing value chain, and across the product lifecycle. All electronics OEMs that sell products into the EU will have to comply or they will lose access to this market. Compliance with these two directives will require that OEMs and their supply chains understand the material composition of their products, from bulk materials and individual components to sub-assemblies and finished products. In order to support this, data will have to be created, exchanged and analyzed across all tiers in the supply chain. Efforts are underway to develop standards for the definition and electronic exchange of Material Composition Declarations (IMCD) to minimize the industry impact.