Introduction of RoHS Compliant Lead Free Products

Introduction

Increased environmental awareness and pending legislation like the European Union directives on Wastes from Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) are the driving forces behind the electronics industry move towards environmentally friendly, lead-free electronic product production and assembly processes. The European directives impose rules on the use of lead and other hazardous materials by July 1, 2006 which will affect the global market of electronic products. China has announced its intention to adopt legislation in this area in parallel with the EU directives and a number of other countries are doing likewise by adopting similar legislation. In addition, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) pursues a lead-free roadmap aiming to make lead-free production processes considered as a standard from 2005 to 2010 and eliminate lead in the long run. These regulations affect everyone: Even if you do not manufacture and sell products into the European or Chinese markets, your sourcing and manufacturing processes will most probably be affected as your suppliers and component manufacturers undertake actions to meet the directive requirements. Therefore, u-blox fully commits to an early and smooth migration path towards lead-free products while maintaining backwards compatibility.

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