The greener way

Making an environmentally friendly product means following a lot of regulations

Environmentally conscious entrepreneurs will look for the most eco-friendly way to manufacture their products. But there are a number of standards that are used to measure how environmentally friendly a product’s manufacturing process is.

For example, electrical products are regulated to follow Restriction of Hazardous Substances ( RoHS) standards. This standard tests components for six materials: lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ether. If even a single component of a product tests above the recommended limit for any one of these materials, the entire product fails to meet RoHS standards. Although

standards are entrenched in Europe, they are beginning to make inroads in China, where the standards for compliance and required warnings are slightly different. Entrepreneurs sourcing products from China should become familiar with the Chinese incarnation of RoHS to ensure their products meet North American and European RoHS compliance standards as well.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive ( WEEE) is a standard that promotes recycling of electronics containing dangerous goods. Together with RoHS standards, WEEE became European law in 2003. For items placed on the market after 2005, it is up to the item’s producer to make provisions for recycling the products consumers purchase as well as for making sure the products meet electronics recycling standards. WEEE

products are indicated with a crossed-out wheeled garbage can. There are 10 categories of WEEEproducts.

In addition to the above, the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 14000 series of standards assists manufacturers in improving their environmental performance by helping them control and identify their environmental impact. Like other ISO regulations, it pertains to the process of how a product is created rather than the actual product’s environmental impact. Inventors who are interested in ensuring their manufacturers are concerned about the environment should choose manufacturers following this family of standards.

In any case, if an inventor is looking to source environmentally friendly manufacturing, it is best to have the product put together domestically or in a WEEE/RoHS- compliant region. Although domestic manufacturing can take longer to set up than overseas, there is a better chance that the manufacturer will not cut corners or skirt regulations that they purport to follow.

Entrepreneurs should also watch out for greenwashing, which refers to the practice of green-sounding but otherwise meaningless branding. They should make sure their product is manufactured to a recognized standard. After all, it is ultimately up to the purchaser to ensure their product is prepared in a way that is satisfactory to their own views.