The restrictions also extend to adhesive, foil or tape in semiconductors and photographic coatings for film, paper or screen by 1 January 2016.

The prohibitions do not apply to food packaging, food contact materials or medical devices.

The Amendment comes into force immediately.

for further information, please contact us.

Formal approval is still needed by Parliament which should happen in September, which will then be followed by the Council’s decision.  Once entered in force, EU member states will have 18 months to incorporate it into national legislation.

Portable batteries and accumulators containing more than 0,002% of cadmium and portable batteries and accumulators containing cadmium intended for use in cordless power tools will be banned under this Directive.

Button cells with mercury content less than 2% by weight will also be prohibited, and the Commission will report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the availability of alternatives to button cells for hearing aids.

Batteries and accumulators already on the market prior to the respective bans can still be marketed until stocks run out.

For further information on this Directive or on batteries legislation from around the world, please contact us.

The Bulletin is geared toward manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, or retailers supplying magnets, toys, jewelry, novelty goods, or other products that consist of magnets.

The ban on small, high powered magnets came into effect on 15 November 2012. It was introduced to prohibit the sale of small, high powered magnets that can cause injuries if swallowed by children.

Examples of products captured by this ban include magnet sets sold under names such
as BuckyBalls, Nanodots, Neocubes, Zen Magnets and others. The ban also prohibits
the sale of certain magnetic jewelry worn in and around the mouth.

The ban applies to separable or loose magnets that:

• are small enough to fit into the small parts cylinder used in the Australian standard, AS/NZS ISO 8124, for toys for children up to and including 36 months of age, and
• have a magnetic flux of 50 (kG)2 mm2 or more, and
• are supplied for use as or marketed by the supplier as a toy, game or puzzle (including but not limited to an adult desk toy, an educational toy or game, a toy, game or puzzle for mental stimulation or stress relief), a construction or modeling kit, or jewelry to be worn in or around the mouth or nose.

The ban does not apply to magnets sold for commercial, industrial or research purposes.

The Bulletin outlines suppliers’ responsibilities, including ensuring safe supply, reporting, consumer guarantees, and recalls.

The Bulletin also provides answers to frequently asked questions about the applicability of the ban.

For more on Australia’s ban on small, high powered magnets, or other countries with similar bans, contact Compliance & Risks!

K-REACH sets out the process for chemical registration, evaluation, assessment of hazards and risks of chemical substances and products containing hazardous chemical substances, and to protect public health and the environment in Korea.  It will enter into force on January 1st, 2015.

Why don’t you sign up now for a free 30-day trial of our compliance knowledge management system, C2P?!

To find out how you can stay on top of energy efficiency legislation throughout the world, why don’t you contact us, or sign up now for a free 30-day trial of our compliance knowledge management system, C2P?!

The German Green party has presented a study on “planned obsolescence“ of products. Planned obsolescence is the scientific name for the planned ageing and wearing-out of products. The study, which was prepared by ARGE REGIO Stadt- und Regionalentwicklung GmbH, describes the mechanisms of planned obsolescence and suggests ways to reduce and even eliminate it.

The study provides examples of consumer products which are made to last only for a limited period of time. It distinguishes intentional, planned and accepted fast wearing-out of products and provides examples of products that do not last as long as they could because certain components are of low quality or made of less durable materials or insufficient dimensions, and which cannot be repaired or replaced.

It suggests a number of steps to be taken to extend the lifetime of products, including the following: Products should be made in a way so they can be repaired, spare parts should be kept available, the design should be modular and allow for recyclability and re-usability, and maintenance should be possible at regional level. The study goes on to suggest a number of measures, including the following:
-Introduction of labeling requirements indicating the product quality, such as its “expected useful life” and a clear warning that a product cannot be repaired or that no spare parts will be available;
- Introduction of minimum standards for repair, interfaces and components;
- Obligations to provide repair instructions and keep spare parts available;
- Introduction of a mandatory “codex for sustainable product quality in the recycling economy” and of a “product responsibility act”;
- Setting up of a national or European platform to better match the input and output of substances;
- Introduction of the concept of “hidden defect” as part of civil law warranty.

The study also examines to which extent measures to avoid planned obsolescence can be introduced under existing legislation, considering the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC, the Eco-Labelling Directive 2010/30/EU and the WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU. It concludes that the current wording of the Ecodesign Directive already considers the topic. Annex 1, which contains a set of indicators to assess the sustainability of products, addresses the topic of obsolescence by mentioning the “extension of lifetime as expressed through: minimum guaranteed lifetime, minimum time for availability of spare parts, modularity, upgradeability, reparability”. As a consequence, implementing measures imposing requirements to avoid planned obsolescence would already be possible under the umbrella of the existing Ecodesign Directive. The study emphasizes that “the possibility to eliminate nearly all negative effects of planned obsolescence exists already under the current Ecodesign Directive”. It also points out that information on the planned life expectancy of products can be required under EU Labeling Directive 2010/30/EU.

According to the authors of the study, the introduction of legal instruments to address planned obsolescence is only logical, considering the already well-established EU policy on sustainable development, which is laid down in numerous policy documents, such as the EU Sustainable Development Strategy, the Strategy on the sustainable use of natural resources, the Eco Innovation Programme, the 5th and 6th Environment Action Programme, the Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan and the Flagship Initiative “A resource-efficient Europe”, all of which contain policies and strategies which can easily be linked to the reduction and elimination of planned obsolescence.

At first sight, the mandatory introduction of measures to force industry to design long-lasting products that can easily be repaired and re-used, seems like a radical approach which interferes with the freedom of manufacturers of how to make their product and the freedom of consumers to choose which products they prefer to buy. It may, however, be only a small step away from realization, considering that the already existing Ecodesign Directive empowers the European Commission to impose any kind of “ecodesign requirements” as long as they foster the “ecodesign parameters” listed in the Directive. In addition measures in favor of extending product lifetime and usability are promoted by relevant stakeholders – as the study shows – and they are very much in line with European environmental policy. Therefore, companies should not underestimate this, potentially imminent, development. On the contrary, in order to be on top of the competition, companies should check to which extent their portfolio is likely to be affected. They also should provide assistance at an early stage to regulators to keep them from prescribing disproportionate measures out of a lack of industry knowledge.

The study (in German) is available at http://www.gruene-bundestag.de/fileadmin/media/gruenebundestag_de/themen_az/umwelt/PDF/Studie-Obsoleszenz-BT-GRUENE-vorabversion.pdf

For more information, please contact us.

Cork, Ireland – UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a world leader in advancing safety, along with Compliance & Risks, one of the world’s most trusted compliance knowledge management companies, today announced a strategic alliance offering a suite of services that support companies as they manage global compliance requirements and facilitate strategic, cross-market growth.

Businesses today are under consistent pressure to increase speed to market, reduce and control costs, ensure product safety and manage ever-evolving risks. A new service suite from UL and Compliance & Risks addresses these needs by providing a comprehensive view of all existing compliance obligations, effectively packaging and delivering the knowledge necessary to maintain technical compliance, and painting a clear picture of potential requirements in the pipeline. With this intelligence, businesses can proactively plan for, manage and respond to market changes, thus improving brand protection as well as strategic product and market development.

“We’re delighted to partner with a world leader such as UL. By fusing their vast technical expertise with our services, it creates a significantly enhanced portfolio of offerings,” commented Joe Skulski, CEO of Compliance & Risks. “It’s a natural fit for our clients and we believe they will benefit greatly from the synergies this collaborative agreement brings.”

The offerings are available through Knowledge Services, a business segment of UL that provides training and advisory services that help make people and the companies they work for smarter, safer, more efficient and more effective.

“Where we offer education and technical guidance, Compliance & Risks offers research and up-to-the-minute insights,” said Jill Oakman, General Manager, UL Knowledge Services. “Our alliance gives customers access to knowledge whenever and wherever they need it, whether it’s through hands-on training and elearning, in-depth market research or daily information monitoring and reporting.”

Available across industry sectors such as high tech, lighting and HVAC, the service suite will provide:

• Market Research – offering comprehensive, tailored insights on the challenges and opportunities that come with developing new products and markets. Experts assess the potential impact of proposed legislation and compare requirements against varying regions, products and policy areas.
• C2P – a compliance knowledge management system containing more than 15,000 global regulations, Standards and other key documents across policy areas such as WEEE, RoHS, REACH, product safety, toys, textiles, batteries, energy efficiency, labelling, import/export, and packaging. All topics are updated on a daily basis providing compliance news and alerts, key dates, deadlines, exceptions, and exemptions, along with commentary from regional experts in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
• Customized Training – empowering staff with the skills and knowledge required to remain ahead of the compliance curve with dedicated courses on market access, compliance and risks, and customized content incorporating the most up-to-date market information available. Training draws on unique market access research findings, data from the C2P database and guidance from technical experts.
• Technical Guidance – each stage in the product lifecycle requires critical decisions that can facilitate, maintain or inhibit on-going regulatory compliance and market access. Receive technical expertise on everything from design concept to product disposal and any step in between.

To request more information on these services, please visit www.ul.com/gmcr.

-Ends-

About UL

UL is a premier global independent safety science company with more than 118 years of history. Employing more than 10,000 professionals with customers in over 100 countries, UL has five distinct business units – Product Safety, Environment, Life & Health, Knowledge Services, and Verification Services – to meet the expanding needs of our customers and to deliver on our public safety mission. For more information on UL’s family of companies and network of 95 laboratory, testing, and certification facilities, go to www.UL.com.

About Compliance & Risks

Founded in 2000, Irish-owned Compliance & Risks is one of the most trusted names in compliance knowledge management.  Working across more than 120 countries, we help companies manage compliance requirements throughout the world via our knowledge management system, C2P, daily alerts, market access and other solutions, enabling them to mitigate risk and focus on growth opportunities.  The company is headquartered in Cork with offices in Brussels, California and New York. www.complianceandrisks.com.

For further information please contact:

Niamh Shanahan, + 353 (0)87 2272637, email: n.shanahan (at) complianceandrisks.com

In parallel, EPA has begun a 30-day public comment period on the ICR (Information Collection Request). The ICR evaluates the implications of imposing data requests for these chemicals.

As a result of this process the EPA will issue orders requesting screening data under the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) as early as this September.

The EPA’s ICR and relevant chemicals list are available at http://www.epa.gov/endo/pubs/prioritysetting/revlist2.htm .

For further information, please contact us.

The recall is announced as part of the settlement of an administrative case filed by CPSC in December 2012, which sought a mandatory recall of the Nap Nanny and Chill products.

About 165,000 of the Nap Nanny and Chill products were sold between 2009-2012 for about $130. The recalled products were sold at toy and children’s retail stores nationwide and online, including at www.napnanny.com.

From 2009 on, CPSC has received at least 92 incident reports involving the Nap Nanny and Nap Nanny Chill products, including five deaths.

Baby Matters LLC is no longer in business and is not accepting returns.

In 2012, four major retailers – Amazon.com, Buy Buy Baby, Diapers.com, and Toys R Us/Babies R Us – announced a voluntary recall of Nap Nanny and Chill models sold in their stores. Consumers who purchased a Nap Nanny from one of these retailers should contact the retailer for instructions on obtaining a refund for the product.

For more on juvenile products safety or recalls, contact Compliance & Risks!

The Roadmap outlines the Group’s strategy to achieve zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the global apparel and footwear industry by 2020.  This environmental initiative is led by group members including the adidas Group, C&A, Esprit, G‐Star Raw, H&M, Inditex, Jack Wolfskin, Levi Strauss & Co., Li Ning, M&S, New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc., NIKE, Inc, PUMA SE – and a diverse group of stakeholders.

Incorporating comments from a wide range of stakeholders, including textile industry suppliers and associations, government and non-governmental agencies, international development organisations and the chemical industry, this document sets out how the ZDHC Group will help to develop and promote industry best practices to deliver a safer and cleaner environment.

To find out how you can stay on top of ever-changing chemicals legislation, why don’t you contact us, or sign up now for a free 30-day trial of our compliance knowledge management system, C2P?!