Complying with new EU environmental and safety regulations has posed challenges for manufacturing, and they aren’t all focused on how waste is dealt with, and ensuring health and safety at all stages of production. The nature of the products has had to change in the items produced, along with the raw materials that can be used in their construction.
Mechanical engineering has found ways to not only make the production process safer for the people directly involved, but also build things that are better and safer. Batteries are a good example. Not so long ago the batteries used in laptops contained dangerous chemicals. They weren’t very effective, nor were they easy to dispose of. The WEEE directive was introduced to combat the latter problem, and now batteries are lighter, more compact, much safer to use and dispose of. The battery manufacturing process also now uses fewer hazardous substances than it once did.
The ELV directive fills the same niche for the automotive industry as WEEE does for electronics. ELV or End of Life Vehicles generate a good deal of waste. Some of this is hazardous, but much of which can be reused and recycled into new cars or other items. The regulations set targets for those two factors as well as controls on the less savoury components that can be used in the manufacture of new cars – another challenge for mechanical engineering.
At Enventure, our environmental compliance solutions can help your company meet these challenges. Not only will you stay within regulations, but also manufacture better products in the long run.
