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• Preliminary Environmental and Economic Assessment of Australian RoHS Policy - full document (PDF - 1,575 KB)
• Preliminary Environmental and Economic Assessment of Australian RoHS Policy - executive summary (PDF - 55 KB)

About the report

Policy makers throughout the world are pursuing effective and sustainable solutions to the end-of-life management of Electrical and Electronic Products (EEPs). Solutions vary from rigid mandatory requirements in the European Union and Japan, through to voluntary take back schemes in the USA and Canada. Regulations cover key areas such as Design for Environment (DfE) and better management of restricted substances, through to product take-back.

This preliminary economic and environmental assessment is to estimate the impact of three possible policy options for reducing the level of six hazardous substances in EEPs in Australia. The assessment will inform the development of an Australian policy on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). The assessment is 'preliminary' and is intended to identify the scope of the issue rather than assess RoHS implications in full detail.

The six substances are: cadmium; chromium (VI); lead; mercury; polybrominated biphenyls (PBB); and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

The three policy models identified by a stakeholder roundtable in 2005 were considered in this study:

1. No further government intervention (industry adopts best practice)
2. Voluntary code of practice plus possible co-regulation
3. National legislation

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Australian Government does not accept liability for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication.