InterFET's Environmental Commitment
At InterFET our environmental policy encompasses lead-free, RoHS, REACH, packaging waste, and proper disposal of chemicals. We also work with our subcontracted service suppliers to continue proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials. InterFET is committed to diligently addressing all environmental issues that face the electronics industry and our customers — both domestic and global. This information is designed to communicate the environmental issues facing the electronics industry today and those in the future. Additionally, we want you to know that InterFET and its manufacturers are working to assure our customers that all products are compliant with existing directives and legislation.
We strive to keep the most up-to-date information available to you. Please feel free to contact us with any suggestions for our environmental web pages or questions about our policies.
RoHS 3 Compliance
RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances, and impacts the entire electronics industry and many electrical products as well. The original RoHS, also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, originated in the European Union in 2002 and restricts the use of six hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. All applicable products in the EU market since July 1, 2006 must pass RoHS compliance. The soldering process is the means by which electronic components are mechanically and electrically connected to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly. Following good soldering practices will prevent component reliability issues as well as insure a robust electrical and mechanical connection to the PCB assembly.
EU RoHS specifies maximum levels for the following 10 restricted substances. The first six applied to the original RoHS while the last four were added under RoHS 3, which takes effect July 22, 2019. All InterFET standard and custom devices are RoHS 3 compliant. All InterFET packaged and unpackaged end products meets the requirements of the latest RoHS 3 standard. Most substances are not used in the InterFET process and are below the Measured Device Limits (MDL) of the testing equipment.
Last revised May 17, 2021.
REACH Compliance
REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals. It is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, while enhancing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry. In principle, REACH applies to all chemical substances; not only those used in industrial processes but also in our day-to-day lives. REACH created the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) which has an essential coordination role in the overall regulation process. Located in Helsinki, Finland the ECHA manages the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction processes for chemical substances to ensure consistency across the countries in which REACH applies.
InterFET Corporation does not currently manufacture or import any chemical substances into the EU on their own or in quantities of 1 ton or more per year. In addition, imported InterFET materials do not contain chemical substances intended to be released during the normal and reasonably foreseeable conditions of the product’s use as defined by the REACH regulation.
All InterFET end products meet the requirements published in accordance with the SVHC candidate list of substances provide by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) on 01/17/2022 and do not exceed the specified limitation for the 223 Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). A summary of the materials and conditions tested are outlined in the InterFET CTC-024 documentation.
Report date January 17, 2022.
Proposition 65 Statement
The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (known as Proposition 65 or “Prop 65”), requires that the Governor of California revise and republish at least once per year the list of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. The latest publication of this list was March 19, 2021. Prop 65 requires clear warnings to be given if a business or its suppliers knowingly exposes an individual in California to a chemical on the Prop 65 List. Prop 65 also prohibits a corporation or its suppliers from knowingly discharging a chemical on the Prop 65 List such that it is likely to, or will, enter any California drinking water source.
Detail on InterFET’s position on Prop 65 are stated in the following document.
TSCA Statement
The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) manages the use of chemicals in domestic commerce for their total lifecycle, from initial substance manufacture or importation to final disposal. It provides the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to require reporting, documentation, and testing of chemical substances. The agency may also restrict substances and substance families.
Since 1976, the EPA has used TSCA to restrict the use of chemical substances. Examples include lead in paint,
metallic mercury in consumer products, and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant gases. In 2016, Congress
updated TSCA as the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act and gave the EPA a clear
mandate to strengthen and reinforce this regulation. The revised act requires the agency to conduct risk
evaluations of “high-risk substances.” On January 6, 2021, the EPA published the first set of post-Lautenberg
final rules under Section 6 of TSCA. The rules restrict five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT)
substances in “treated articles” currently used in both consumer and industrial products across many
industry verticals and carry aggressive timelines for compliance.
The rules published in January 2021 created new obligations for companies operating, importing, or selling into the U.S. and using any of the five substances / substance families in U.S> commerce as mentioned in the following document.
Chemical Disposal and Waste Mitigation
Proper chemical management is necessary to protect the health and safety of our communities and the environment. InterFET is in compliance with federal and state regulations that require all generators of chemical waste receive training and follow proper waste management and disposal procedures. InterFET works diligently with our subcontracted service suppliers to ensure compliance and to reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals used in production.
InterFET Corporation policy encourages the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment.