New Environmental Guide Offers Electronics Industry Better Data on Regulated Materials

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association (JEDEC), and the Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization Initiative (JGPSSI) have revised the tool that provides businesses across the supply chain with more reliable information on the regulated materials contained in electronic products and components.

The revised Joint Industry Guide for Material Composition Declaration for Electronics Products (JIG-101-A) is a standardized list of materials that must be disclosed when they are present in components supplied to electrical and electronic equipment manufacturers for incorporation into their end products. The document can help companies at all points of the supply chain, from suppliers of molecular materials to producers of end products like computers, TVs and cell phones. JIG-101 was released in April 2005. Revision A (JIG-101-A) contains updates for newly regulated materials and minor modifications to the document that will make it easier to use.

In the international market, companies have developed countless documents to disclose such information, producing a duplicative and wasteful process in which businesses must translate the forms again and again throughout the supply chain. The Joint Industry Guide was designed to streamline that process by setting a new standard for reporting the presence and quantity of hundreds of regulated chemicals and materials.

Copies of the Joint Industry Guide JIG-101-A are available for download at no cost at www.eia.org or www.jedec.org.

About the Guide: The Joint Industry Guide provides a standardized list of materials that must be disclosed when they are present in products and subparts that are supplied to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) manufacturers for incorporation into their products. The standardized list benefits both suppliers and their commercial customers by providing consistency and efficiency in the material declaration process. It was not developed or contemplated to provide information on every material in a component or final product. It also encourages the development of consistent data exchange formats and tools that can facilitate and upgrade data transfer along the entire global supply chain.

About EIA: The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) is the leading advocate in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. high-tech industry. The Alliance, which traces its origins to the Radio Manufacturers Association (chartered in 1924), is a partnership of electronic and high-tech associations and companies whose mission is to promote the market development and competitiveness of the $400 billion U.S. high-tech and electronics industries through domestic and international policy efforts. EIA's corporate members - nearly 1,300 - include the full spectrum of U.S. manufacturers. These members provide products and services ranging from microscopic electronic components to state-of-the-art defense, space and industry high-tech systems, as well as the full range of telecommunications and consumer electronics products. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., the Alliance is made up of the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association; the Government Electronics & Information Technology Association; JEDEC; and the Telecommunications Industry Association. For more information, go to www.eia.org.

About JEDEC: JEDEC is the leading developer of standards for the solid-state industry. Almost 3100 participants, appointed by some 290 companies work together in 50 JEDEC committees to meet the needs of every segment of the industry, manufacturers and consumers alike. The publications and standards that they generate are accepted throughout the world. All JEDEC standards are available online, at no charge. More information is available at www.JEDEC.org.

About JGPSSI: The Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization Initiative (JGPSSI) is a voluntary organization inaugurated in January 2001 by the spontaneous Japanese set-makers for the purpose of standardizing the substances and the format for survey in order to conduct the effective survey of the chemical substances contained in the parts and the materials of the equipment in electrical and electronic products. The number of the companies participating in the initiative was just 8 at the beginning, however, as of July 2006, it is joined by 84 companies and 4 associations ranging from material industry, parts manufacturers to set-makers. In April 2002, the head office was placed in Japan Electronics and Information Technology Association (JEITA), where they conduct the operational management. JGPSSI has been considering the globalization of supply chain from the beginning and discussed jointly with Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) in the United States and the European Information, Communications and Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Association (EICTA) about the standardization of the survey, studying the issue of the common guideline that can be applied as the global standard. JGPSSI also proceeded with its activities taking up the improvement of the reliability of the information on chemical substances gained through the survey as the new theme. In September 2005, JGPSSI published “Guidelines for the Management of Chemical Substances in Products”.
For more information about JGPSSI, go to http://210.254.215.73/jeita_eps/green/greenTOP-eg.html.