International Standard IEC 62430
The web-based system complies with the draft International Standard IEC 62430: Environmentally Conscious Design of Electrical and Electronic Products and Systems. By completing the checklists and worksheets the design team generates the document evidence which is required to demonstrate compliance with IEC 62430. Implementing this standard enables consumer electronics manufacturers to gain marketing benefits with their customers.
IEC 62430 is not a ‘tick box’ prescriptive list of specifications. Instead, the standard requires manufacturers to demonstrate how they have integrated life cycle thinking into the product design and development process to minimize the significant environmental impacts of the product across its life cycle stages.
To demonstrate compliance with IEC 62430, manufacturers must meet the requirements in Clause 4 and Clause 5 of the standard and provide document evidence. Use of our environmental design and compliance system worksheets and checklists allows your design team to generate this evidence.
NB. The information below is based on the Committee Draft for Voting. The final standard will be published later in 2008, at which point it will become publicly available from the IEC. Organisations wishing to seek certification to IEC 62430 must purchase a copy of the standard from the IEC when it becomes available.
4 Fundamentals of Environmentally Conscious Design (ECD)
4.1 General
Clause 4 describes the fundamental requirements of ECD to be implemented by the organization. Clause 5 describes the ECD process to be implemented on an operational basis.
4.2 Life Cycle Thinking
Environmentally Conscious Design shall be based on the concept of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT), which requires consideration during the design and development process of the significant environmental aspects of a product in all life cycle stages.
Key elements of life cycle thinking are [...]
4.3 Regulatory and stakeholders’ requirements
Environmentally Conscious Design is performed within the boundaries set by regulatory and stakeholders’ requirements. Such requirements shall be regularly reviewed so that relevant changes are understood by the organization performing ECD.
Environmental regulatory and stakeholders’ requirements may include [...]
4.4 Integration into Management System
Environmentally conscious design and its objective of minimizing the overall adverse impact of the product shall be reflected in the policies and strategies of the organization. If an organization has a management system which includes the product design function, the ECD process shall be an integral part of that system, including documentation. [...]
5 Environmentally Conscious Design Process (ECD Process)
5.1 General
Organizations performing Environmentally Conscious Design (ECD) shall establish, document, implement and maintain an ECD Process as an integral part of the product design and development process. This ECD process includes the following steps and is further described in the following sections [...]
5.2 Analysis of Regulatory and Stakeholders’ Environmental Requirements
As an initial step of ECD, to be carried out in conjunction with the identification of environmental aspects (see 5.3), the organization shall understand the relevant regulatory and stakeholders’ requirements, both at horizontal and sector specific level. These requirements set the basic framework within which a product is developed.
The organization shall ensure, as appropriate, that [...]
5.3 Identification and Evaluation of Environmental Aspects and Corresponding Impacts
The organization shall establish a procedure to identify environmental aspects and corresponding impacts, which is comprised of the following steps [...]
5.4 Design and Development
The choice of a design solution should achieve a balance between the various environmental aspects and other relevant considerations, such as function, health and safety, technical requirements, quality, performance, business risks and economic aspects. These considerations also apply to research and development of new technologies.
The following steps shall be considered during design and development [...]
5.5 Review and Continual Improvement
A procedure for review and continual improvement of the significant environmental aspects of products throughout the entire life cycle shall be established, implemented and maintained. [...]
5.6 Information Sharing for ECD
As part of the ECD process, organizations may exchange information along the supply chain on environmental aspects of their ECD process.
Exchanging the above information assists the organizations involved in the design process to ensure that environmental targets are achieved. Examples of information exchanged include [...]
For further information, please contact Dr Aidan Turnbull
Head of WEEE, RoHS & EcoDesign on +44 (0)1225 748420
