Environmental Standards
In recent years, along with the heightened awareness of environmental issues both in Japan and overseas, product development that places emphasis on the environment is becoming increasingly important.
Also, increasing interest is being shown in the RoHS regulations, which are European environmental countermeasure regulations. In addition, there are JIG, and other guidelines commonly enacted in Japan, America, and Europe in consideration of environmental issues, and increasing interest is being shown in them as well.
In Japan, the number of products made of eco-materials which place importance on the environment is increasing, and it is no longer possible to ignore environmental issues.
In this section, a commentary on the contents of global regulations, standards, and so on, pertaining to these environmental issues is given.
Outline of regulations concerning hazardous substances
Outline of regulations concerning hazardous substances
Recently, regulations pertaining to hazardous substances that can adversely affect the environment are becoming increasingly severe both in Japan and overseas.
Here, a commentary on the RoHS directive and the JIG (Joint Industry Guide), which exert a global effect on the standards pertaining to electrical and electronic products, is given.
RoHS directive
- RoHS directive: This is an European Parliament and European Council directive pertaining to restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The contents thereof were stipulated as follows: "The signatory nations must guarantee that new electrical or electronic equipment placed on the market on or after July 1, 2006 do not container the following specific hazardous chemical substances."
- Prohibited substances: Six substances consisting of the heavy metals lead, mercury, cadmium, and sexivalent chrome, and bromide-based fire retardant materials (PBB, PBDE)
- Threshold: Threshold values of hazardous substances contained in homogenous substances that constitute the product.
| No. | Substance name | Threshold value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cadmium | 100ppm |
| 2 | Lead *1 | 1000ppm |
| 3 | Mercury | 1000ppm |
| 4 | Sexivalent chrome | 1000ppm |
| 5 | Polybromide biphenol (PBB) | 1000ppm |
| 6 | Polybromide diphenyl-ether (PBDE) | 1000ppm |
- *1:The threshold value in copper alloy is 40000ppm.
- Homogenous substance: A unit that cannot be mechanically disjointed in single materials
- Homogenous: Here interpreted to mean that the entire structure is homogenous.
(Examples: plastic, metals, glass, ceramics, alloys, boards, and coatings) - The Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization Initiative (JGPSSI) was established in January 2001. It is run by volunteer corporations for communization of green procurement surveys and the creation of a database in the electronic and electrical machinery industries. The secretariat is located at JEITA.
Outline of JIG
- JIG is an abbreviation of Joint Industry Guide for material composition declaration for Electronic Products. It was jointly enacted by the member corporations of the Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization Initiative (JGPSSI), EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance), EICTA (European Information, Communications and Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Associations), and JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council). It constitutes guidelines pertaining to the disclosure of information related to chemical substances contained in products by the electrical and electronic equipment industries, in accordance with the relevant ordinances and the demands of the market. Within it are stipulated a level A group of 15 substances whose threshold values are stipulated by ordinances that prohibit or limit the use of the said chemical substances, and a level B group of 9 substances which must be disclosed and managed from the viewpoint of the environment.
(Issued April 2005; Amended January 2006) - The Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization Initiative (JGPSSI) was established in January 2001. It is run by volunteer corporations for communization of green procurement surveys and the creation of a database in the electronic and electrical machinery industries. The secretariat is located at JEITA.
JIG stipulated substances and threshold level
| Level A: Substances whose use is prohibited or limited | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Material/Chemical substance level | Threshold level | Comparison with RoHS |
| 1 | Asbestos | Intentional addition | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 2 | Some azo dyes and pigments | Intentional addition | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 3 | Cadmium/Cadmium compounds | 75mm or intentional addition | Threshold that is severer than RoHS |
| 4 | Sexivalent chrome/Sexivalent chrome compounds | 1000ppm or intentional addition | |
| 5 | Lead/Lead compounds | 1000ppm or intentional addition | |
| (PVC cable only) | 300ppm | Threshold that is severer than RoHS | |
| 6 | Mercury/Mercury compounds | 1000ppm or intentional addition | |
| 7 | Substances that destroy the ozone layer | Class I: Intentional addition | |
| Class II (HCFCs): 1000ppm | |||
| 8 | Polybromide biphenyl (PBB) | 1000ppm or intentional addition | |
| 9 | Polybromide diphenyl-ether (PBDE) | 1000ppm or intentional addition | |
| 10 | Polychloride vinyl | Intentional addition | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 11 | Polychloride naphthalene | Intentional addition | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 12 | Radioactive substances | Intentional addition | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 13 | Some short-chain paraffin chlorides | Intentional addition | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 14 | Tri-butyl tin, tri-phenyl tin | Intentional addition | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 15 | Tri-butyl tin oxide | Intentional addition | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| Level B: Substance concerning while information is to be disclosed | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Material/Chemical substance level | Threshold level | Comparison with RoHS |
| 16 | Antimony/Antimony compounds | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 17 | Arsenic/Arsenic compounds | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 18 | Beryllum/Beryllium compounds | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 19 | Bismuth/Bismuth compounds | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 20 | Bromium-base fire retardant material | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 21 | Nickel (external use only) | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 22 | Some phthalic acid esters | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 23 | Selenium/Selenium compounds | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
| 24 | PVC | 1000ppm | Specific substances not covered by RoHS |
Standards of eco-wires and cables
Eco-wires and eco-cables are generally electric wires and cables that are made of environmentally friendly materials or materials that have a relatively small impact on the environment. Simply changing the materials of the insulation and sheath from PVC to another material such as polyethylene does not result in fireproof performance, so the Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers' Association (JCS) defines EM wires and cables as wires and cable consisting of eco-material which are also fire resistant.
Eco-wires and eco-cables have the advantage that when they are incinerated or used in landfill, they are readily recyclable and friendly to the environment because they do not contain halogen-based elements such as chlorine, which constitute the basis of the generation of hazardous substances, or heavy metals such as lead, which are hazardous substances. By using eco-wires and eco-cables, the amount of toxic gas emitted as well as the amount of smoke emitted in the event that a fire occurs is smaller than that emitted from PVC wires and cables, so eco-wires and eco-cables are superior from the fire-prevention aspect as well.
Eco-wire and eco-cable standards
Regarding eco-wires and eco-cables, in March 1998 we were commissioned by the Ministry of Construction (present Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) to develop environmentally friendly wires and cables and prepare a standard based on a Green Government Buildings plan from the viewpoint of preservation of the global environment. Accordingly, we prepared a standard for low voltage/power, control, and communication wires and cables which were in harmony with the environment, as a Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers' Association (JCS) standard.
This standard was studied and enacted based on the prerequisite of a general performance that was at least as good as that of the conventional PVC wires and cables.
The following three items were stipulated as a standard for eco-wires and eco-cables.
- Eco-wires and eco-cables must not use PVC, must not container halogen, lead, and so on, and must not generate hazardous substances such as dioxin when incinerated or buried in a landfill.
- The heat resistance of eco-wires and eco-cables must conform to the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law.
- Unified names and symbols must be used.
Eco-wires and cables have the following advantages.
- The covering material does not contain halogen elements, so it does not emit toxic halogen gas.
- Eco-wires and eco-cables do not contain lead or other heavy metal, so they do not contaminate the soil when they are buried in a landfill, for example.
- These wires and cables emit little smoke during combustion, and have excellent fire resistance in the event of a fire disaster, for example.
- These wires and cables do not emit corrosive gases.
- These wires and cables can withstand high temperatures, enabling them to handle large currents.
The representative performance of eco-wires and eco-cables conforms to the following table.
| Item | Characteristic | Test method |
|---|---|---|
| Fire retardancy | Fire must self-extinguish within 60 seconds | According to b) Inclination Test of 4.26.2 of JIS C 3005 |
| Smoke concentration | 150 or less | According to 5.2 (Smoke Concentration) of JCS 7508. |
| Gas generated during combustion | pH 3.5 or less | According to 5.3 (Gases Generated during Combustion) of JCS 7508 |
