Pictured left to right: Cindy Bouthot, UK Trade & Investment; Steve Andrews, UK Department of Trade and Industry, United Kingdom and Anne Doherty Johnson, AeA.

On March 9, 2006, over 70 high-tech environmental and legal specialists attended AeA New England's full day conference on E-waste 2006: Complying with EU & China Regulations Seminar.  The event was sponsored by AeA members UK Trade & Investment and Mabbett & Associates, Inc. and hosted by Philips Medical Systems. 

This seminar focused on the evolution and current status of various EU and Asian environmental mandates (WEEE, RoHS, REACH, etc.) having a major impact on the high tech supply chain.  Current and proposed laws and regulations impacting EHS were addressed, and an overview of the current status of U.S. state laws in this area were also addressed.  Company best practices in compliance were also featured, along with a discussion of the implementation of eco-design as a competitive advantage. 

Given this year's impending deadlines for the EU directives, timing for the conference was particularly good.   These new directives call for new monitoring and reporting of chemicals used in high-tech products or outright chemical bans, and are driving sweeping design changes across the technology supply chain. To help AeA members learn more about the impact of these laws, AeA New England again this year assembled an impressive group of experts for our annual update.  Attendees were encouraged to share what they had learned with other company departments and invited to become active in AeA committees focused in these areas. Please call AeA's Anne Doherty Johnson to learn more about these committees and how the issue may impact your company.

Also reviewed at the meeting was a new AeA service for members, offered in conjunction with d Allen & Overy, LLP.  AeA has announced a new EU Environmental Law Compliance Website at 50% discount for AeA members. The EU Environmental Law Compliance Website is an online service to assist companies trying to comply with the European Union Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE Directive) and on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (the RoHS Directive).  Given the level of complexity of this issue, and the varying approached taken by EU member states, companies are recommended to review this site to see if it may be beneficial.  Click here to learn more. 

Don't miss our next event - review the AeA New England event calendar for networking and learning opportunities.

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