European Commission to Prohibit Cadmium from TVs and Displays by October 2019
August 09 2017 - 9:00AM
The European Commission this week made public its decision to
prohibit cadmium from TVs and displays sold in Europe from October
2019, as part of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
Directive. This is subject to ratification by the European Council
and Parliament over the next two months. Cadmium in lighting
products will be prohibited with immediate effect, although they
are not commercially available.
Cadmium is one of six hazardous substances
banned from use in Europe in electrical and electronic equipment by
the RoHS Directive, which was designed to protect human and
environmental health. The RoHS Directive recognizes cadmium as the
most hazardous heavy metal; ten times more toxic than mercury or
lead.
“This is a much-needed decision, which will
provide market certainty as to the end date of cadmium use in TVs
and displays, with immediate effect for lighting,” said Dr. Michael
Edelman, CEO of Nanoco, a world leader in the development and
manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other materials. “The
European Commission is putting the health of consumers first and
removing deadly cadmium from these household products in an
expedited timeframe.”
“Throughout the RoHS evaluation process, Nanoco
and other leading companies have advocated against prolonging the
use of cadmium – particularly given that safe and highly viable
alternatives are already a success in the market and being quickly
adopted by leading global manufacturers,” continued Dr. Edelman.
“With this ruling, the end of cadmium is truly in sight.
Responsible display manufacturers developing new products will need
to start preparing now for ban in 2019.”
The Global Community Unites Against
Cadmium’s Dangers
In addition to RoHS, other global standards also
protect against cadmium’s dangers. The IEEE 1680 standard limits
cadmium to <100 parts per million (ppm), stating further that
good environmental practice is <50 ppm, with zero cadmium added
deliberately. According to IEEE, “The standards provide clear and
consistent performance criteria for the design of electronic
products, providing an opportunity to secure market recognition for
efforts to reduce the environmental impact of electronic
products.”
“Cadmium-based technology has been a non-starter
from the beginning,” said Dr. Edelman. “This is a failed technology
that has been abandoned by leading international display
manufacturers and rejected by consumers. Data shows that nearly 519
million Wide Color Gamut (WCG) displays were sold globally in 2016.
Of that number, fewer than 400,000 products (or 0.08% of the
market) containing cadmium were sold. Multiple cadmium-free
technologies are widely available (including QLED, OLED, Advanced
Phosphor, and Enhanced Color Filter) from market leading suppliers
such as Samsung, Merck, Dow, and others for the fast growing WCG
display market. This competition already ensures that market
requirements for high color performance, energy efficiency, and
cost are being effectively met. The cadmium-free future is bright
and Nanoco is excited to be at the forefront of innovation in this
industry.”
ABOUT NANOCO Nanoco (LSE:NANO)
harnesses the power of nano-technology to create a brighter, more
sustainable future. Based on breakthrough science, Nanoco’s
proprietary manufacturing process enables the large-scale
production of its cadmium-free CFQD® quantum dots for multiple
applications:
- LCD display, where Nanoco’s CFQD® quantum dots give consumers
peace of mind to enjoy next-generation color performance and energy
efficiency without allowing toxic chemicals into their homes.
- Lighting, where Nanoco’s CFQD® quantum dots are used in
horticulture to safely speed plant growth.
- Healthcare, where Nanoco’s CFQD® quantum dots are opening new,
potentially life saving uses in bio-imaging.
- Solar, where Nanoco’s CFQD® quantum dots are incorporated into
printable solar inks for future thin, highly efficient and low cost
solar cells.
Nanoco has non-exclusive manufacturing and
marketing licensing agreements in display with The Dow Chemical
Company, Merck KGaA of Germany, and Wah Hong Industrial Corporation
of Taiwan. Through these partners and its own production facilities
in Runcorn, UK, Nanoco is creating the world’s largest
manufacturing ecosystem for cadmium-free quantum dots.
Nanoco was founded in 2001 and is headquartered
in Manchester, UK, with a US subsidiary, Nanoco Inc., in Concord,
MA. Nanoco continues to build out a world-class, patent-protected
IP portfolio generated both by its own innovation engine, as well
as through acquisition. For further information
visit: www.nanocogroup.com.
Media Contact:
Kathy Wilson
Tier One Partners
kwilson@tieronepr.com
(781) 652-0499
Nanoco (LSE:NANO)
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