For the average office, environmental compliance management probably rotates around waste recycling and energy usage. However, for the electrical or mechanical engineering company things are far more complex, especially if you ship goods abroad.
RoHS, WEEE and REACH EU regulations don’t just affect companies based within Europe – they affect any company trading with the European Union. What is more, many other markets are now governed by laws related to those within the EU. RoHS and REACH compliance have become global issues, making environmental compliance management mandatory for engineering firms, even those trading at a local level.
When considering environmental compliance management, you have to consider world conflict and political issues, as well as the harm your products may be doing to the environment. For example, is your company guilty of using conflict minerals? This has nothing to do with the REACH directive, but with the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was signed by President Obama in July 2010, and came into effect in April 2011.
The Act called for a sweeping reform of the US financial regulatory system, which among other things required that any company listed on the US Stock Exchange must declare any Conflict Minerals mined in the DRC zone. In other words, any minerals mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and adjoining African countries suffering armed conflict.
With so many global mandates now in force, many engineering companies are turning to us at Enventure Technologies. We offer a comprehensive range of environmental compliance services which cover everything from ROHS compliance to the Dodd–Frank mandate.
