Why is it important to remove halogen from electronic products?
This week, in a major development for green technology, the TCO Certified eco-label for electronics, together with display industry leader NEC, announced the NEC Eco-Flagship EA222WMe wide computer monitor as the first to receive the TCO Certified Edge award for designing a product completely free of halogens, a proven hazard to human health and the environment. This groundbreaking achievement is a major step towards a more sustainable ICT infrastructure.
For almost 15 years, removing halogenated substances from electronic products has been an ambition of the TCO Certified program and other advocates of environmental and human health . Halogens such as brominated and chlorinated flame retardants are proven to pose substantial risks, both to the natural environment and also to the health of animals and humans. The challenge of eliminating these substances has been to work closely with industry partners to find viable alternatives that still maintain the safety features otherwise provided by halogenated content in the product. This long term collaboration has now brought to market the first electronic products completely free from halogenated substances.
Halogenated substances have been used as an inexpensive and simple fire retardant in electronics, textiles and other everyday products for many years. They are also commonly used as a “plasticizer” in many products, giving the product a softer, pliable character. The environmental and health problems with halogen lie in its stability and persistence. It doesn’t break down when disposed of but is actually shown to remain in plants, animals and humans, for example in fat and breast milk. It has also been shown to adversely affect hormonal function, potentially causing fertility problems.
Voluntary third party certifications such as TCO Certified can help influence the progress of green design by recognizing front runners in industry who are successful in phasing out hazardous substances. But industry-wide adoption of these practices demands that legislation includes these good design practices by tightening existing legislation. The RoHS directive has been instrumental in brining about a reduction in the use of halogenated substances and other hazardous materials in electronics. However there are still many exclusions and exceptions to RoHS, which need to be tightened in order to realize a market where halogen-free electronics are the norm rather than the exception.
TCO Certified continues to work closely with industry, research and user communities as well as environmental experts and legislators to ensure ongoing progress in the development of ICT products that are designed for the environment and usability.
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