SHANGHAI -- China's domestic printed circuit board industry has released a pair of documents governing best practices for environmental protection.

The new guidelines, called  "Clean Production Standards for PCB Industry" and the "Waste Charging Standards in Electronic Industry, Electronic Components & PCBs," set criteria for waste recycling, gas, water and other materials. Requirements vary by the region, according to reports, and are expected to be adopted within two years.

China's PCB industry, the world's largest, generates some 190,000 tons of solid waste and 900,000 tons of liquid waste materials each year, based on estimates from the China Printed Circuit Association. The CPCA, according to reports, says 10.5 tons of solid and 50 tons of liquid waste are generated from 10,000 sq.m of PCBs, and China produced 180 million sq. m of boards in 2010.

The PCB industry traditionally has followed domestic plating standards, which do no cover pollutant contents, density or manufacturing techniques.

• Prev
• Next