April 2014

Environmental compliance is a moving target -- each region can impose unique environmental requirements on products sold in their market and new regulations continue to emerge. Different global substance regulations create significant challenges for all actors in the electrical and electronics industry. Substances added twice a year to the EU REACH¹ SVHC Candidate List and the potential additional RoHS2 substances are prime examples of new or changing regulatory requirements.

Surveys show that price and performance are still the most important consumer criteria when selecting a mobile device.¹ However, increasing commoditization coupled with growing environmental concerns are placing sustainability front and center among considerations for manufacturers that hope to differentiate their products and demonstrate good corporate stewardship.