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Conflict Minerals

December 6, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

New Version CMRT 5.10 for Conflict Minerals Reporting Released

Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) Version 5.10 Released

RMIOn December 1, the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) released an updated Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) version: CMRT 5.10.

Major changes to CMRT 5.10 include:

  • Corrections to all bugs and errors
    • Update to ISO country, state and province lists
  • Enhancements which do not conflict with IPC-1755
  • Updates to the Smelter Reference List and Standard Smelter List
  • Change to .xlsx format

CMRT 5.10 comes as an update to the previous version, CMRT 5.01, which was released in June as an immediate update to CMRT 5.0 which was released in May. The next CMRT version is anticipated to be released in April 2018.

CMRT 5.10 is available to download here.

The Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) Has Re-branded as the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)

CMRT forms are updated and released twice per year by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) organization, formerly known as the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI). In October, CFSI re-branded as RMI.

RMI will continue to release CMRT forms twice per year under the new organization name, and will continue to hold the annual Conflict Minerals event in Santa Clara, CA every fall. Previously known as the CFSI Annual Conference, the event is now called the RMI Annual Conference. GreenSoft attends this event every year.

Get Help With Your CMRT Collection and Conflict Minerals Compliance

For customers using GreenSoft’s Conflict Minerals data services to perform Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiry (RCOI), our data services team will prepare to start using CMRT 5.10 for data collection going forward.

For customers using our GreenData Manager software Conflict Minerals Module, our software development team will begin the process of developing software updates for the use of CMRT 5.10.

If you are not yet a GreenSoft customer, contact us today to learn about our Conflict Minerals data services and software and we’ll provide you with a free Risk Analysis!

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California Proposition 65

November 10, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

Three Chemicals Added to the CA Prop 65 Substances List

OEHHA Adds 3 Substances to the List of Chemicals Known to Cause Cancer

CA-Prop-65

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has added three chemicals to the list of substances known to the state to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65).

The addition of these three substances is effective October 27, 2017. Affected companies under Prop 65 are required to warn customers of potential exposure to substances which cause cancer or reproductive harm. All three of the newly added substances were determined by OEHHA to cause cancer.

The three substances are:

  1. N,N-Dimethylformamide (CAS No. 68-12-2)
  2. 2‑Mercaptobenzothiazole (CAS No. 149-30-4)
  3. Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) (CAS No. 79-94-7)

OEHHA's news release on these additions can be found online here. The last prior update to CA Prop 65 was in January 2017.

GreenSoft provides data services for CA Prop 65 and our GreenData Manager software includes CA Prop 65 as one of the regulations built into the software. Contact us to learn more about how we can help your company comply with CA Prop 65.

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Webinar

November 3, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

View the Complying with EU REACH in 2018 Webinar Recording

View a Recording of our Webinar to Learn About EU REACH for 2018

eu-reachLast week, attendees from around the globe logged on to view our educational webinar "Complying with EU REACH in 2018." Now you can view the recording online to learn about compliance with the EU REACH regulation in the coming year.

GreenSoft's Senior Manger of Product Support, Randy Flinders, guided attendees through an overview and news about the EU REACH regulation, including the impacts of this year’s changes to the definition of an “Article,” detailed information on compliance with Annexes XIV and XVII, and best practices for a cost effective, intelligent approach to REACH Compliance.

Attendees had an opportunity to ask their questions for Randy to answer in real-time, and were sent a document with the Q&A answers to reference going forward. Sign up to be notified when the next webinar is scheduled here so you can ask your own questions next time. In the meantime, check out the recording below to see what you missed.

View a recording of the Complying with EU REACH webinar online here. 

 

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Conference

October 17, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

Learn about EU REACH in Boston this November

GreenSoft Presenting at SPCE/IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering

spce-2017Join us in Boston this November to hear two sessions on EU REACH compliance by GreenSoft's Senior Manager of Product Support, Randy Flinders.

SPCE Boston is a two-day event with technical presentations and exhibits on product compliance engineering. Randy will be presenting two sessions: EU REACH Overview and Best Practices for REACH Compliance.

Perfect for workers and innovators in the product safety and environmental compliance industries, SPCE is designed to provide a forum for product safety engineers and design engineers to discuss and disseminate technical information related to product safety and compliance.

The EU REACH Overview presentation will provide an overview and news about the EU REACH regulation, including information on compliance with Annexes XIV and XVII and the Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) Candidate List.

The Best Practices for REACH Compliance presentation will provide detailed information on Annexes XIV and XVII, the SVHC List, and the impacts of changes to the definition of "Article" that were clarified by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) earlier this year, as well as practical and cost-effective strategies and solutions for compliance.

Registration is now open for this educational East Coast event. Register online today.

And if you can't make it to Boston, check out our free online webinar: Compliance with EU REACH in 2018. Or visit our other events happening this fall in California and London.

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EU RoHS

October 10, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

EU Parliament Adopts RoHS-2 Changes on Secondary Market Operations

EU Votes to Permit the Reselling of EEE and Spare Parts for RoHS-2

European-ParliamentOn October 3rd, the European Parliament voted to adopt proposed amendments to EU RoHS-2.

Under the current RoHS-2 Directive, both the first placement of an electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) product on the market and secondary market operations are prohibited after July 22, 2019.

Now the newly adopted amendments will permit the resale of EEE and spare parts that were put on the market before the respective substances were prohibited. This will permit the repair and resell of refurbished EEE products.

The changes will enter into force 20 days after they are published in the Official Journal of the European Union, and more details will be known at that time. Subscribe to our blog to be notified when the official decision is published.

The last prior change to EU RoHS-2 was in June 2017.

GreenSoft's RoHS-2 Data Services

If your company is affected by the EU RoHS Directive, GreenSoft is here to help. Our Data Services team will collect compliance data on parts and assemblies from your supply chain for you.

We provide 100% coverage on data collection for compliance regulations so that you can show due diligence while still focusing on your core competencies. And we validate your data for completeness and accuracy using our stringent quality system that combines automated checks and manual review to ensure data quality of 99.9%.

Learn more and receive a free Risk Analysis when you contact us.

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EU RoHS Exemptions Timeline Update

EU RoHS Exemptions Updates: European Commission announces target adoption dates expected in third quarter 2024 for critical EU RoHS exemptions for electronics manufacturers

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

China RoHS

October 5, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

Draft List of Products Covered by China RoHS-2 Issued

12 Product Categories To Be Covered by China RoHS-2

china-rohsOver the summer, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (“MIIT”) released a draft list of products covered by the China RoHS-2 legislation.

There are 12 product categories that are covered by the China RoHS-2 legislation:

  1. Refrigerators
  2. Air conditioners
  3. Washing machines
  4. Electric water heaters
  5. Printers
  6. Photocopiers
  7. Fax machines
  8. Televisions
  9. Monitors
  10. Microcomputers
  11. Mobile communication devices
  12. Telephones

Companies manufacturing products in these categories will need to comply with the RoHS-2 legislation, which we previously explained in blog posts from March 2016 and November 2016. Primarily, companies must comply with content limit restrictions of the 6 substances listed below and their compounds:

  • Lead and its compounds;
  • Mercury and its compounds;
  • Cadmium and its compounds;
  • Hexavalent chromium compounds;
  • Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB);
  • Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

There are some product applications for lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium, and other substances in electrical or electronic products that are exempt from the substance restrictions. Products with exemptions will have no limit value for certain uses, a higher limit value for certain uses, and/or a different time frame for compliance.

The official MIIT notification in Chinese can be found online, as well as the draft category list and the exemption list.

Data Services for China RoHS

Environmental compliance regulations for electronic products are complex, and translation issues can make the China RoHS-2 legislation particularly confusing to understand. GreenSoft maintains an office in China, where our data collection team is located, so that we are able to provide global coverage to our clients.

With fluency in multiple languages including Chinese, we are able to help you make sense of the regulations affecting your company. With our Data Services solution, we will contact your suppliers directly to obtain compliance data on your products and components and verify that information for accuracy.

Learn more about GreenSoft’s Data Services, and we'll provide you with a free Risk Analysis when you contact us.

 
 
 

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Events

September 19, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

Fall Events & EU REACH Webinar Announced

Join us in California, London, or Online this October & November

2017-sept-eventsIt will be a busy fall season here at GreenSoft with four upcoming events in October and November. That means you'll have four opportunities to learn about our cost-effective and award-winning solutions for RoHS, REACH, Conflict Minerals and other regulation compliance. 

We'll be exhibiting our compliance data services and GreenData Manager software at the CFSI Annual Conference and Edif ERA EEE Conference, as well as at the ASQ Southern California Quality Conference, where we'll also be presenting an educational seminar session. Additionally, we'll be hosting a webinar on compliance with EU REACH for the coming year. 

All events are open to the public, and we have a limited number of complimentary passes to give away to prospective clients for some events - contact us to reserve your ticket today!

CFSI Annual Conference

Hosted by the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) and the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), the CFSI Annual Conference focuses on compliance with the US Conflict Minerals regulation.

This conference brings together experts and practitioners from industry, governments, and civil society from around the globe to discuss strategies, programs, and emerging issues as they relate to sourcing minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas. GreenSoft will be exhibiting our conflict minerals data services and Conflict Minerals Module for GreenData Manager software.

October 18-19, 2017
Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, CA  USA
Register Now

"Complying with EU REACH in 2018" Webinar

Join us to learn what you need to know for compliance with EU REACH in 2018. Randy Flinders, Senior Manager of Product Support for GreenSoft, will guide you through an overview and news about the EU REACH regulation, including the impacts of this year’s changes to the definition of an “Article,” detailed information on compliance with Annexes XIV and XVII, and best practices for a cost effective, intelligent approach to REACH Compliance.

Attendees will learn about:
•   What your responsibilities and areas of concern are as a manufacturer
•   How to comply with the SVHC List, Annex XIV, and Annex XVII
•   The benefits and limitations of Full Material Declarations
•   What the recent changes by the EU to the definition of an “article” under REACH mean for your product compliance

October 26, 2017
3:00pm Central European Time/10:00am Eastern US Time Session: Register Now
2:00pm Eastern US Time/11:00am Pacific US Time Session: Register Now

Edif ERA EEE Conference

The Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Environment Conference by Edif Group, a RINA Company, focuses on a variety of regulations, such as RoHS, REACH, Conflict Minerals and more.

The conference covers all the key requirements pertinent to placing hardware products on the market, including taking responsibility for your supply chain and regulation developments and news. GreenSoft will be displaying our compliance data services and GreenData Manager software.

November 1-2, 2017
Hilton London Heathrow Airport
London, United Kingdom
Register Now

Bonus: Get 20% off your registration for the Edif ERA EEE Conference when you mention GreenSoft!

Southern California Quality Conference

This year's 10th annual Southern California Quality Conference is brought to you by the American Society for Quality sections 700, 701, 702 and 706. ASQ members will earn 1.0 RUs towards their ASQ Recertification by attending this event. (The event is also open to non-ASQ members.)

The Southern California Quality Conference provides a forum for like minded professionals to exchange their ideas and learn from workshops and presentations, including a presentation by GreenSoft's Senior Manager of Product Support, Randy Flinders: "EU Environmental Compliance: An overview of RoHS and REACH." In addition to presenting, GreenSoft will be also displaying our compliance data services and GreenData Manager software.

November 4, 2017
Kellogg West Conference Center
Pomona, CA  USA
Register Now

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EU REACH

September 12, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

23 Substances Added to EU REACH Annex XVII

23 Newly Restricted Substances, Effective March 2018

EU-REACHOn August 30th, the European Commission added 23 substances to the REACH Annex XVII restricted substances list and updated 2 existing substances.

This amendment to the REACH regulation is entered into force 20 days after the August 30th publication, and the prohibition of these substances is effective March 1, 2018.

The full list of the 23 newly restricted substances can be found online.

The last update to REACH Annex XVII was in October 2016.

Help With REACH Compliance

Here at GreenSoft, we help companies manage REACH compliance with a process that includes data collection, data validation, and report generation. We can also help with sourcing compliant replacement parts or suppliers for non-compliant parts or non-responsive suppliers. Learn more about our REACH compliance services here or get started with a FREE Risk Analysis/BOM Scrub!

 
 

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Data Services

August 22, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

What is the Difference Between GreenSoft’s Compliance Solution and Others?

The GreenSoft Advantage

When evaluating services or software solutions to help with product compliance, it is important to consider the data quality and data coverage of the solution. Some options such as online compliance platforms or online compliance databases provide only a partial solution.

GreenSoft Technology offers a comprehensive solution combining Data Services and GreenData Manager software to guarantee data quality and provide full data coverage.

The information and comparison chart below explain how GreenSoft's data services and software offer a more comprehensive solution at every level than the alternatives.

Other Types of Compliance Solutions

Online compliance platforms are essentially just supplier portals. An email must be sent to your suppliers with a link to the online portal and the suppliers must take it upon themselves to submit the requested information online.

The data is stored all in one place in the online compliance platform for you, but the data is not verified for accuracy or completeness, and is not converted into all the necessary formats for reporting. Nothing guarantees that your suppliers will submit the requested information and there is no process for data coverage on the remaining parts that suppliers don't submit information for. The end result is that your completion rate will be low and the data quality will be poor.

Online compliance databases are databases with compliance information on common components that you can pay to search through and download the information for any of your components that are included in the database. This is only a partial solution as it is likely that not all components on your Bill of Materials (BOM) or parts list will have data available in the online compliance database, and there is no process for data coverage on the remaining parts.

Additionally, the larger the database, the more likely it is to be outdated. The freshness of the data is essential for the information to be useful to you, and it is nearly impossible to maintain the freshness of data in databases that have hundreds of millions of parts. Regulations change regularly so an online component database must be updated more often than they usually are in order to be of value to you. Using an online component database, you'll find that your project completion rate will be low and the data quality will be outdated for many parts. Having a lack of complete coverage on the parts in your BOMs and having outdated compliance data will cause you to be unable to perform product level compliance reporting, which may impact your ability to sell products in certain countries.

GreenSoft Data Services, Turnkey Services, and GreenData Manager Software

GreenSoft's one-stop comprehensive solution takes care of all these issues for you and covers the limitations that other solution platforms don't address.

  • We contact your suppliers for you as many times as it takes to obtain complete and accurate information. In our experience, it takes an average of four (4) contact attempts with each supplier to obtain all the necessary information. When regulations change and new substances are added, we take the initiative and contact your suppliers for the newly required information.
  • We provide 99.9% Data Quality by validating the collected information for completeness and accuracy using our intensive system of automated and manual checks.
  • We provide Full Data Coverage on your BOM or parts list. If suppliers are unresponsive, we will help source alternative suppliers who have demonstrated a history of compliance, or we will perform a Materials Assessment or Risk Assessment as needed. We can assess the compliance of the component based on the material drawings, or we can evaluate the risk level of the component by researching the compliance records of similar components. As a last resort, we will help arrange lab testing to obtain compliance information.
  • Your dedicated Project Manager will provide you with bi-weekly project status updates, will monitor regulations to let you know of any updates or changes that you need to be aware of, and will let you know ahead of time when any regulation exemptions you are using are about to expire and your components are going to become non-compliant soon.
  • Compliance data and documents are stored in our award-winning GreenData Manager software and your data will be converted into required formats for reporting and export.

Solution Comparison Chart

When comparing side-by-side, there is no match for GreenSoft's comprehensive compliance solution. At every level, GreenSoft provides a superior solution that provides more coverage than online compliance platforms or databases.

To learn more and view the comparison chart, click here. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us online or at +1-323-254-5961.

 

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Turnkey Services

July 20, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

New Turnkey Service Basic and Gold Packages Available

GreenSoft's Signature Turnkey Service Now Comes in Basic and Gold Packages

Turnkey-ServiceGreenSoft's Turnkey Service has provided a simple all-in-one solution for companies seeking environmental compliance for over a decade, and now our signature solution comes in two package options: Basic and Gold.

Both packages integrate our data services with GreenData Manager software to generate compliance reports for REACH SVHC, RoHS-2, Conflict Minerals and many other regulations, including custom requirements.

And now the Gold Package comes with 3 licenses of Hosted GreenData Manager, including BOM data hosted on GreenSoft's online server, IT administration, and data collection and validation.

Both Basic and Gold Packages provide you with your company's customized compliance data and documents in a comprehensive bundle with easily accessible links and files. Regular updates from your dedicated Project Manager keep your project on track, and our 19-Category Recommended Supplier List provides valuable information curated by GreenSoft on reliable suppliers who provide complaint parts with proper documentation.

 

To learn more about GreenSoft's Turnkey Service, visit our website, download the datasheet, or request more information.

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Conflict Minerals

July 7, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

CFSI Makes Minor Changes In Updated CMRT Version 5.01 for Conflict Minerals Reporting

New Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) Version 5.01 Released To Correct Errors in CMRT 5.0

In June, the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) released CMRT 5.01, an update from CMRT 5.0 which was released in May. CMRT 5.01 was created to address errors in the checker tab related to the changes in CMRT 5.0.

Additionally, CFSI's news release announced that a CMRT Completion Guide to be used with CMRT 5.0 and higher can be found here. And that Chinese and Japanese versions are forthcoming.

The new CMRT 5.01 form should be used going forward for Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiries (RCOI) by manufacturers for compliance with the U.S. Conflict Minerals regulation. CMRT 5.01 can be downloaded here.

For Existing GreenSoft Customers

For customers using GreenSoft's Conflict Minerals data services to perform RCOI, our data services team will prepare to start using CMRT 5.01 for data collection going forward.

For customers using our GreenData Manager software Conflict Minerals Module, our software development team will immediately incorporate CMRT 5.01 into our on-going development of the updates we started for CMRT 5.0, which will be implemented in the near future.

Get a Free Risk Analysis When You Contact Us

If you are not yet a GreenSoft customer but your company is required to comply with the U.S. Conflict Minerals regulation, contact us today about our Conflict Minerals data services and software and we’ll provide you with a free Risk Analysis!

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EU RoHS

June 21, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

European Commission Extends Three RoHS-2 Exemptions

Three Annex III RoHS-2 Exemptions Extended Until 2019-2024; Still No Decision on Others

eu-rohsAs we previously reported, many of the most commonly used exemptions applicable to product categories 1-7 and 10 of the EU RoHS-2 Directive were set to expire on July 21, 2016. However, a large number of extension applications for exemptions were submitted to the European Commission, and, per the RoHS-2 Directive, exemptions remain in effect until a decision is made on extension applications that have been submitted.

Earlier this month, the Commission officially published three RoHS-2 Annex III exemption extensions. This set of exemptions is collectively known as "Pack 7." With this decision, the exemptions are now extended through July 2019 to 2024, depending on the substance and product category (see below).

The Commission has still not published any decisions on the remaining exemption extension requests. A list of pending exemption extension requests can be found here.

Pack 7 Exemptions Concerning Use of Lead and Cadmium

The three Pack 7 exemptions that have been extended concern the use of lead and cadmium in reflective and optical glass, and the use of lead in bearing shells and bushes for compressors.

These new exemption extensions now expire on a gradual scale on July 21 in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024 depending on the substance and product category.

  • Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/1009 modifies and extends exemption 13(b) of Annex III (Cadmium and lead in filter glasses and glasses used for reflective standards.) This exemption has been divided up with sunset dates set by type of optical glass as well as product category. Due to this change, new exemptions 13(b)-I, 13(b)-II, and 13(b)-III have been implemented. The new exemption definitions become mandatory on July 6, 2018. Producers who have been using exemption 13(b) in the past should review the impact of this change as it relates to their products.
  • Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/1011 extends exemption 13(a) of Annex III (Lead in white glasses used for optical applications) until July 21, 2021 for most categories, July 21, 2023 for category 8 devices, and July 21, 2024 for category 9 and 11 devices. Because no change was made to the definition of this exemption, producers who have been using exemption 13(a) can continue to do so until the updated sunset dates are reached.
  • Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/1010 extends and modifies exemption 9(b) of Annex III (Lead in bearing shells and bushes for certain refrigerant-containing compressors.) This exemption has been divided up with sunset dates set by compressor design as well as product category. Due to this change, exemption 9(b)-I has been implemented. The new exemption definitions become mandatory on July 6, 2018. The revised exemption only applies to product categories 8, 9, and 11, as well as certain equipment under category 1. Producers who have been using exemption 9(b) in the past should review the impact of this change on their specific products.

GreenSoft Keeps Track of RoHS-2 Exemptions So You Don't Have To

Updates and exemptions to regulations are common and to be expected. With the status and timing of exemption extensions unknown, compliance can be a continually moving target.

Affected companies using parts or materials that utilize expiring exemptions should immediately begin finding replacements and phasing out the use of those parts or materials.

GreenSoft can help with this process, including the sourcing of replacement parts. We can help you collect the substance data on your parts and format the data to meet the due diligence and documentation requirements of RoHS-2 and EN 50581. Learn more about our RoHS-2 Services or contact us today to get started!

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EU RoHS Exemptions Timeline Update

EU RoHS Exemptions Updates: European Commission announces target adoption dates expected in third quarter 2024 for critical EU RoHS exemptions for electronics manufacturers