Hi Karl Heinz,

The implication for leadfree of the Japanese recycling law that came into
force on April 1 this year is simply that the fee to be charged for recycling
an item containing lead is higher than that for recycling a leadfree item.
The main thrust of the law is a requirement that manufacturers take
responsibility for the safe disposal of their products when they have reached
the end of their useful life.  The difference in the recycling fee reflects
the additional costs involved in ensuring that no lead-containing materials
find their way into the environment as a result of the recycling process.
The difference in cost is sufficient to make it worthwhile for manufacturers
to eliminate lead from these items and that means eliminating the
lead-containing solders from the electronics contained therein.  At the
moment the law applies to only four categories of domestic appliances:
refrigerators, air-conditioners, television sets and washing machines, but
its coverage may well be extended.   Another regulation introduced at the
same time requires that computers used in industry (as opposed to those used
at home) be recycled at the end or their life and for the same reason
manufacturers will probably want to eliminate solders containing lead from
these products.

It would be unfair, however, to attribute the widespread adoption of leadfree
soldering materials by the Japanese electronics industry only to this
legislation.  While, as is apparent from the intense debate on this forum,
the industry in the US and Europe is still questioning the need to move to
leadfree, and indeed questioning the economic and technical feasibility of
doing so, the Japanese industry has decided that it wants to eliminate any
thing from its products that could have a detrimental effect on the
environment.  This extends beyond eliminating lead from solders to the
elimination of other elements such as cadmium and the elimination of halogens
from printed board laminates.   A commitment to environmental responsibility
is a feature of the corporate policy of most Japanese electronics companies.
 Leadfree solders are only part of a much larger story.

Regards
Keith Sweatman
Nihon Superior Co Ltd

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