BANNOCKBURN, IL – A pair of electronics industry trade groups are taking issue with India’s proposed e-waste management and handling rules.

The Indian Printed Circuits Association and IPC have submitted comments in response to the Indian Government’s Ministry of Environment and Forests draft notification of E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2010.

Specifically, the trade groups are concerned that a proposed reduction of the use of hazardous substances in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment will have a negative impact on the global and Indian electronics industry, and will fail to accomplish the Ministry’s goal of environmentally sound management of electrical and electronics equipment waste.

In submitted comments, IPC asserted the simultaneous restriction of the 20 substances identified in the proposed draft regulation would not contribute to the environmentally sound disposal of electronics, and instead proposed a scientific evaluation of substances be conducted to ensure alternatives benefit human health and the environment.

Several substances included in Schedule III have been proven to be safe for human health, including TBBPA, the flame-retardant used in more than 80% of printed boards, says IPC.

Noting a study of lead-free solder conducted by the US EPA, IPC warned of potential environmental tradeoffs when restricting substances and blindly substituting one for another. EPA evaluated the environmental impacts of SnPb solder versus Pb-free alternative solders and found the increased energy use associated with the higher operating temperatures required for manufacturing Pb-free soldered electronics would cause greater negative impacts on the environmental than SnPb soldered electronics.

IPC also urged the Ministry to consider removing medical devices and monitoring and control instruments from the list because of their extreme complexity, and suggested the institution of a phase-in plan for medical devices and monitoring and control equipment, similar to that proposed for Europe’s RoHS Directive.

IPC asked the Ministry to harmonize the list of substances for restriction with the current RoHS Directives in the EU and China to help Indian manufacturers compete globally.

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