The Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Environment Conference is an opportunity to learn about the current and future developments in environmental compliance and legislation for commercial products. The event is organised by RINA and will take place at Hilton Heathrow Airport on 14-15 November.
For the past 19 years, the Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Environment Conference has been attracting leading names in the environmental compliance and legislation sector. This conference covers all the key requirements pertinent to placing hardware products on the market, offering the ideal, one-stop opportunity to catch up with current issues, get a glimpse of the road ahead and discuss with experts and peers. This year it is particularly pertinent with Brexit presenting its own set of unique challenges.
“It is vital for hardware OEMs, along with their extended supply chain, to ensure that the product they place on the market is fit to sell and meets all regulatory requirements that apply in the relevant markets,” Dr Chris Robertson, the conference director said. “For companies in the UK that means, at least for the foreseeable future, meeting EU laws or directives as well as international regulations. It is an event where companies learn vital information from experts within both industry, enforcement as well as policy makers in addition to networking with peers.”
The conference regularly attracts high-quality speakers who represent the most recent developments in environmental compliance and legislation, and this year’s event is no different with sessions on Brexit, hazardous chemical regulations, sustainability and the circular economy as well as covering technical regulations and market surveillance.
On the topic of Brexit, the event will focus on the challenges that the electronics industry may face depending on the eventual exit agreement. With Brexit, any hiatus in the regulatory environment could affect legal compliance, availability of parts, continuity of delivery, cost and ultimately may impact sales and competitiveness (both in and out of the UK) and therefore jobs and UK prosperity.
Steve Brambley, Chief Executive of GAMBICA, the Trade Association for Instrumentation, Control, Automation and Laboratory Technology in the UK, will give an update on what UK industry is doing to engage with civil servants and UK government to help them understand the challenges facing manufacturers and their supply chains.
Another hot topic is conflict minerals such as tin, tantalum, tungsten (the 3TGs). This is an ethical supply chain issue, like fair trade, but with a higher political profile in the event of non-compliance – particularly for high profile brands. Conflict minerals are present in virtually all electronics, and ensuring materials and components are from a clean source and that ethical metrics are met is a big challenge.
Martin Westrup is Team Leader Energy and Raw Materials at the European Commission, DG Trade, who is responsible for the EU regulation will cover the status of preparation including associated legal instruments and guidance. The EU regulation is based on complying with the OECD due diligence framework. There are very significant issues in tracing gold (LBMA) and industry is working hard on the ground to clean up the supply chain (EPRM), all of whom will also be speaking at the event.
“The conference is important for anyone making hardware and all the companies within the extended supply chain through the OEM, tier one supplies right down to the smallest component manufacturer” Dr Robertson concluded. “It is crucial to everyone who has any input into a finished product to stay up-to-date with regulations and trends to ensure that all products are safe and meet the requirements of environmental regulations. This event is the ideal opportunity to meet all the important stakeholders.”