Newsroom
NEMI Sponsors Workshop on Product Take-Back and Recycling
Meeting scheduled for October 10-11 in Colorado
Press Contacts at bottom of page
HERNDON, Va. - September 4, 2002 - The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI), an industry-led consortium, is sponsoring a workshop to address the business implications of product take-back and recycling, October 10-11 in Colorado. Meetings will be hosted by NEMI member StorageTek at their Louisville facilities (near Denver).
"Much of the attention that has been given to pending environmental legislation - such as the European Union's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive - has focused on the requirements to eliminate lead in electronic products. However, much of the legislation currently pending also includes provisions relating to end-of-life issues, and many North American companies have not really come to grips with the impact these requirements will have on their businesses," said Jim McElroy, executive director and CEO of NEMI.
McElroy notes that the WEEE Directive covers take-back or recovery of electronic products, including dismantling and disposition of parts and subassemblies, as well as labeling, marking and reporting requirements. As proposed, manufacturers will be responsible for take-back and recycling of any product sold in the EU and may also be required to pay a deposit to the country of import to cover recycling costs. Furthermore, this type of legislation is not limited to Europe. End-of-life issues are also being discussed in California, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.
The NEMI workshop is being organized to provide companies with better insight into the impact of key legislation and to assess impact on the supply chain for North American companies. Topics to be covered include take-back, reuse and recycling; information systems to track materials used in products; and design for environment.
"Our intention is to not only provide information, but also a forum for open discussion of the common challenges faced by the electronics manufacturing supply chain," continued McElroy. "It is our hope that we will be able to begin developing industry-driven collaboration to ease compliance."
Anyone interested in participating should contact NEMI at 703-834-0330 or info@nemi.org; or visit the NEMI web site (www.nemi.org) for an agenda and sign-up form.
About NEMI
The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative's mission is to facilitate leadership of the North American electronics manufacturing supply chain. Based in Herndon, Va., the industry-led consortium is made up of more than 65 electronics manufacturers, suppliers, industry associations and consortia, government agencies and universities. NEMI roadmaps the needs of the North American electronics industry, identifies gaps in the technology infrastructure, establishes implementation projects to eliminate these gaps (both business and technical), and stimulates standards activities to speed the introduction of new technologies. The consortium also works with government, universities and other funding agencies to set priorities for future industry needs and R&D initiatives. For additional information about NEMI, visit www.nemi.org.
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For further information:
Cynthia Williams
cwilliams@nemi.org
phone: 207-871-1260