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Conference

June 14, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

GreenSoft Headed to Silicon Valley and London This Fall to Display RoHS, REACH and Conflict Minerals Solutions

We're Exhibiting at the CFSI Annual Conference in Santa Clara, CA and the Edif ERA EEE Conference in London

2017-sept-eventsWe've added two great events to our calendar this fall:

CFSI Annual Conference 2017 in Santa Clara, CA on October 19,

and Edif ERA Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Environment (EEE) Conference in London on November 1-2. 

Conflict Minerals and RoHS & REACH Focuses

CFSI Annual Conference - Santa Clara - October 19, 2017

The CFSI Annual Conference, organized by the Conflict Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) brings together representatives of the industry, government and civil society for updates and in-depth discussions and guidance on best practices to help companies make informed choices about conflict minerals in their supply chain.

GreenSoft will be presenting several tools to help companies managed their conflict minerals compliance. GreenSoft's Conflict Minerals data services and Smelter or Refiner (SOR) Validation services provides data collection and validation for your Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiry (RCOI) due-diligence. And the Conflict Minerals Module for GreenData Manager software manages your data and documents and allows for the import, generation and export of CMRT forms.

Register for the CFSI Annual Conference on responsible sourcing in supply chains here.

Edif ERA EEE Conference - London - November 1-2, 2017

The Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Environment Conference by Edif ERA (the organization is re-branding to RINA Consulting as of this month) is going on its 18th year attracting leading names in the environmental compliance and legislation sectors. The event will cover conflict minerals, RoHS, REACH, and many other regulations, and will provide updates on developments in the EU, US, and China, including Brexit and Trump effects.

In addition to presenting our conflict minerals solutions, GreenSoft will be exhibiting our RoHS-2 and REACH compliance services and GreenData Manager software. Our on-site representatives will be available to answer your questions about best practices for compliance.

Register to attend the Edif ERA EEE Conference here.

See GreenSoft's full event calendar online. We hope to see you at one of these events in the fall!

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Conflict Minerals

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

EU Conflict Minerals Regulation Signed Into Law

Conflict Minerals Regulation to Take Effect July 8, 2017

The European Union's Conflict Minerals Regulation has been signed into law and was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on May 19, 2017.

The "EU Conflict Minerals Regulation 2017" will enter into force 20 days after publication (June 8, 2017), and take effect one month after that (July 8, 2017). Affected companies will need to perform due diligence checks and reporting on their suppliers starting January 1, 2021.

The text for this landmark Conflict Minerals regulation was proposed by European Commission in November 2016 and approved by the EU Parliament in a 558 to 17 vote in March. The regulation was first proposed back in March 2013.

Different Rules for Upstream and Downstream Companies

The regulation sets out different rules for upstream and downstream companies:

  • Upstream companies have to comply with mandatory rules on due diligence when they import, as this is the most risky part of the supply chain.
  • Downstream companies fall into two categories:
    • Those importing metal-stage products also have to meet mandatory due diligence rules.
    • Those operating beyond the metal stage do not have obligations under the regulation, but they are expected to use reporting and other tools to make their due diligence more transparent.

As such, importers, smelters and refiners of tungsten, tin, tantalum and gold (3TG) will be required to carry out mandatory due diligence checks when annual import volumes exceed set thresholds. Although there will be no mandatory requirements on downstream companies in the supply chain, they will be encouraged to carry out the checks on a voluntary basis.

The European Commission website has a section with details on the new Conflict Minerals regulation here, and the full text of the regulation here.

Conflict Minerals Support for GreenSoft Customers

Now that the final regulation is approved, GreenSoft will begin to develop a Conflict Minerals data collection program specific to this legislation for companies needing to comply starting January 2021. Our development team will begin looking into a software reporting tool that meets the EU standards for conflict minerals reporting.

GreenSoft already provides Conflict Minerals data services, Smelter or Refiner Validation services, and the Conflict Minerals module for GreenData Manager software for customers complying with US Conflict Minerals legislation and other global regulations such as EU RoHS-2 and REACH.

Contact GreenSoft today to learn how we can help you with your existing and upcoming compliance obligations, and we’ll provide you with a free Risk Analysis & BOM Scrub!

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Conference

May 31, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

Learn About RoHS-2, REACH, and Other Regulations in Silicon Valley, Chicago and Boston

RoHS-2, REACH, and Other Regulation Knowledge at ITI & IPC Conferences

iti-ipc-2016We're hitting to the road and exhibiting at a series of three conferences in Silicon Valley, Chicago and Boston this June!

The ITI & IPC Conference on Emerging & Critical Environmental Product Regulations will feature the latest industry trends and news on issues such as EU RoHS-2 exemption requests, REACH substances in articles, China RoHS, CA Prop 65 and more.

The conference series is hosted by IPC, a global trade association for the electronics industry, and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a global advocacy and policy organization for innovation technology companies.

Featured speakers at the conference include Peter Megaw, team leader of the Support, Forum and HelpNet Secretariat unit of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Steve Andrews, Deputy Head of the Waste & Recycling team at the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), and Theresa Jordan, Environmental Affairs Manager at Motorola Solutions, Inc.

GreenSoft will be on-site to show how GreenData Manager software and GreenSoft's Data Services can simplify your compliance program for RoHS-2, REACH and other regulations.

Sign up now to join us at a city near you for this great educational and networking event!

➤ Monday, June 5 - Silicon Valley, CA

➤ Wednesday, June 7 - Chicago, IL

➤ Friday, June 9 - Boston, MA

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Conflict Minerals

May 15, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

CFSI Releases CMRT Version 5.0 for Conflict Minerals Reporting

New Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) Update

On Friday, the Conflict Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) released a new Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) version: CMRT 5.0.

CMRT forms are used to collect compliance data on products and components as part of the Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiry (RCOI) obligations under the US conflict minerals law.

The new CMRT 5.0 form is an update from CMRT 4.20, which was released in December 2016. CFSI releases a new CMRT form version about every six months. As part of this release, CFSI announced the next CMRT form update is anticipated to be released in November 2017.

Major changes seen in CMRT 5.0 are:

  • Corrections to all bugs and errors
  • Conformance to IPC-1755 in the wording of the following questions: Q. 1, Q. 2, Q. 5, A, F, I (formerly J); removal of former question G
    • Additions and clarifications in the instructions and definitions
    • Update to ISO short names for countries
  • Conformance to IPC-1755 use of ASCII character set for Standard Smelter Name in hidden column R on the Smelter List tab
  • Addition of ISO Country Codes and State/Province Codes in hidden columns S and T on the Smelter List tab
  • Renaming of "Smelter Reference List" to "Smelter Look-up"
  • Updates to translations for all modified text
  • Updates to the Smelter Look-up List and Standard Smelter List
    • See here for the stand-alone Standard Smelter List and Revision History
    • See here for the updated list of known smelters and refiners

For Existing GreenSoft Customers

Existing customers of GreenSoft can rest easy knowing that the GreenSoft software development team and data collection team will take care of this update for you.

Our software development team will soon update GreenData Manager software to accept the processing of CMRT 5.0 forms, and our data collection team will prepare to start using CMRT 5.0 when performing RCOI on behalf of our customers as part of our Conflict Minerals data services. The changes will be implemented in the near future.

GreenSoft: the Conflict Minerals Reporting Experts

For those who have not yet experienced the convenience of GreenSoft’s Conflict Minerals Data Services and award-winning GreenData Manager software for conflict minerals compliance, you could have GreenSoft taking care of updates such as this for you.

GreenSoft provides Conflict Minerals Data Services tailored for the needs of electronics manufacturers to help with these obligations. We will perform RCOI data collection of CMRT forms for you and validate that information for accuracy and completeness. Compliance data and corresponding documents are stored in the GreenData Manager (GDM) Conflict Minerals Module, and GDM is used to generate compliance and status reports. We also check your parts against our extensive GreenSoft Component Database to cut down on data collection time and project cost for the parts we already have data on.

We've been dealing with conflict minerals compliance for years now and recently we've taken the experience and knowledge that we have learned and published an new informative white paper. The Best Practices for Conflict Minerals Reporting white paper can be downloaded online.

Read the white paper and then give us a call or email today to discuss your company's specific needs. We’ll provide you with a free Risk Analysis/BOM Scrub when you contact us!

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White Paper

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

White Papers on Restricted Substances in Electronics Products & Conflict Minerals Reporting Published

GreenSoft Publishes Two White Papers on Environmental Compliance for Electronic Products

white-paper-libraryAs part of an on-going effort to provide knowledge and guidance to the electronics manufacturing industry, GreenSoft has published two new informational White Papers on product compliance. "Management of Restricted Substances in Electronic Products" and "Best Practices for Conflict Minerals Reporting" are both available for free download online.

"Management of Restricted Substances in Electronic Products" takes a close look at the obligations for manufacturers under two EU regulations: Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). The white paper provides details on how GreenSoft helps electronics companies manage the restricted substances from those two regulations.

"Best Practices for Conflict Minerals Reporting" reviews the requirements for manufacturers to perform comprehensive collection and management of conflict minerals information from not just their tier-1 suppliers but all the way down through the supply chain to the smelters or refiners (SORs). The document describes the process that GreenSoft has implemented to help companies manage the key challenges and mitigate the risk of violating the conflict minerals provision of the US Dodd-Frank Act.

Download the White Papers online. Existing GreenSoft customers can also make unlimited downloads of our White Papers from the GreenSoft Customer Support Center.

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GreenData Manager Software

April 24, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

Introducing iGDM: GreenData Manager Component Database Search

GreenSoft Launches iGDM for Real-Time Compliance Status Searches within GreenSoft's Multi-Million Parts Database

igdmIntroducing a new GreenData Manager (GDM) software add-on for searching the compliance status of components: iGDM. Customers can access iGDM online from anywhere with an Internet connection through GDM-Browser Edition or Hosted GDM.

iGDM allows engineering and product design staff to qualify parts for compliance in real-time during the design process. Search for RoHS and REACH SVHC compliance status and see instant results from GreenSoft’s iGDM multi-million parts database.

The iGDM parts database is populated with high-quality up-to-date data on millions of parts gathered and validated by GreenSoft’s data collection team. Customers are able to search for matches using a single part number or by searching multiple part numbers at once.

iGDM will return search results presenting the number of parts marched or unmatched from your company’s own parts database. You can then view the compliance status of unmatched parts using data pulled from GreenSoft’s iGDM component database. Parts can be added to the data collection and processing pool for GreenSoft to input the compliance status and compliance documents into the GDM software for you.

Give your engineering and product design team the freedom to make decisions in real-time while complying with your company’s environmental health and safety standards with iGDM Component Database Search for GDM-BE and Hosted GDM. Contact us for more information and a demo. Or download the datasheet.

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Conflict Minerals

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

Conflict Minerals Regulation Updates and SEC Statement

Acting SEC Chairman Halts Enforcement of Some Provisions of Conflict Minerals Rules, Other Provisions Still Apply

Last week the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a highly anticipated statement regarding the status of the conflict minerals provisions (Section 1502) of the Dodd-Frank Act under President Trump's administration.

The statement announced that the SEC will halt enforcement of Section 1.01(c) of the conflict minerals rule due to "regulatory uncertainties." Sections 1.01(a) and 1.01(b) are still in effect and remain unchanged.

The impact of these changes to the rule are limited. Affected companies still need to perform the Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiry (RCOI) and complete the reporting provision. But companies do not need to make a public declaration of conflict-free or not-conflict-free status. The public declaration requirement was already waived in April 2014 by the SEC.

Regulatory Uncertainties Surrounding Form SD Section 1.01(c)

Form SD Sections 1.01(a), 1.01(b) and 1.01(c) were created by the SEC to enable conflict minerals disclosure in fulfillment of the Section 1502 requirement of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Section 1.01(a) calls for a Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiry (RCOI), and Section 1.01(b) calls for the disclosure of findings from the RCOI to the SEC. Section 1.01(c) calls for a public declaration of conflict-free or not-conflict-free status based on the RCOI findings.

The public declaration provision in Section 1.01(c) was declared unconstitutional in a legal battle that ended in Fall 2015. The provision was found to be in violation of the First Amendment because it compels companies to declare that their products might contribute to human rights abuses, which the plaintiffs argued is a politically controversial and non-factual message.

In last week's statement, Acting SEC Chairman, Dr. Michael S. Piwowar, stated that he is instructing the Commission to determine if the goals of the public declaration provision can be achieved in a way that does not violate the constitution. And until that is resolved, the SEC will not be enforcing Section 1.01(c).

Transparency and Disclosure Surrounding Conflict Minerals Matters to Industry

While the obligations under the conflict minerals rule have been lessened for affected companies, there are still profit-based reasons to avoid using conflict minerals in products, in addition to the remaining legal obligations.

As part of the Conflict-Free Campus Initiative, several universities have gone 'Conflict-Free' with a commitment to only buy computers made using conflict-free minerals. And student activists at many other universities continue to push for the initiative to be implemented on their campuses, such as the Undergraduate Students Association Council has called for at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) campus.

Meanwhile, several companies have stated they will not abandon the conflict-free standard no matter how much the law is gutted. The Washington Post reported in February that Apple, Intel and Tiffany & Co. have all stated their desire to see the regulation continue. Representatives from both Apple and Intel made similar statements saying the companies believe conflict-free sourcing is the right thing to do and remain committed to responsible sourcing regardless of regulatory changes.

For GreenSoft Clients

Since the bulk of the conflict minerals rule remains in effect, GreenSoft will continue to provide conflict minerals services to our clients. Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiries (RCOIs) and Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) collection will continue without interruption for GreenSoft clients that have ordered that service. We will continue to provide alerts to our customers in support of their conflict-free policies and prepare them to answer their customers' risk challenges.

If you have any questions about your conflict minerals compliance program in relation to the SEC's announcement, please feel free to contact your Project Manager for information specific to your project.

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Webinar

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

GreenSoft Hosting a REACH Webinar in May

Join us for this new webinar event and become your company's REACH expert

EU-REACH

On Wednesday, May 24, GreenSoft will be hosting a webinar focused on compliance with the EU REACH regulation.

Hosted by Randy Flinders, Senior Manager of Product Support, this webinar will teach you about your obligations as a manufacturer under the REACH SVHC List, Annex-14 and Annex-17.

Randy will discuss the average time and cost for internal compliance programs versus using a partner for implementation, and will present information on how to improve your data quality and return rate.

With the ever changing environmental regulations and new substances continually being added to the restricted substances list under REACH, compliance is more confusing than ever for manufacturers. So sign up for this informational webinar and become your company's expert on the REACH regulation. Space is limited; reserve your seat today!

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IPC Distinguished Committee Service Award

April 4, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

IPC Recognizes GreenSoft Product Support Manager

Congratulations to GreenSoft's Randy Flinders for his IPC Distinguished Committee Service Award

randy-ipcIPC is a global trade association serving the printed board and electronics assembly industries, their customers and suppliers.

GreenSoft's Senior Manager of Product Support, Randy Flinders, participates in standards committee meetings for IPC for the development of industry data exchange standards.

Using his knowledge from his years in the industry, Randy contributed his perspective and experience to help the IPC committee develop the IPC-1755 Conflict Minerals Data Exchange Amendment 2, and was recognized for his contributions to that committee last month at the IPC APEX Expo 2017 with the Distinguished Committee Service Award.

Data standards enable companies to share complex parts data across organizations and supply chains in a uniform format, and enable service and software providers such as GreenSoft to develop solutions specific to individual regulations.

For instance, the Conflict Mineral module for GreenSoft's GreenData Manager software is compatible with the IPC-1755 format. And GreenSoft's IPC-1752A Viewer tool provides conversions for IPC-1752A data.

Randy has a long history of participation with standards and research committees such as IPC, and has been the recipient of many awards over the years. All of us here at GreenSoft thank him for his dedication and contributions to the electronics and compliance industry. Congratulations, Randy!

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EU REACH

March 16, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

Public Consultation for Two EU REACH SVHC Additions

ECHA Invites Interested Parties to Comment on SVHC Proposals

EU-REACHLast week the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced a public consultation period for two proposals to identify new Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) under the REACH regulation.

The substances are:

  • 4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol (bisphenol A; BPA) - EC No. 201-245-8; CAS No. 80-05-7; Reason: Endocrine disrupting properties (Article 57(f) - human health)
  • Perfluorohexane-1-sulphonic acid and its salts - EC No. 206-587-1; CAS No. 355-46-4; Reason: vPvB (Article 57e)

Bisphenol A had previously been added to the SVHC list in April 2016 due to its reproductive toxicity. It is now being proposed again due to its endocrine disrupting properties with serious effects to human health. Therefore the SVHC list which currently has a total of 173 substances will be increased to 174, not 175, if these two substances are approved for inclusion after the public consultation period.

ECHA has published Annex XV reports outlining the reasons for inclusion for each substance. All interested parties are invited by ECHA to submit comments on such reports during the public consultation period. Annex XV reports can be found by clicking the "Details" link next to each substance here.

The deadline to submit comments is 24:00 Helsinki time on April 24, 2017. Comments can be submitted online by clicking the "Details" link next to each substance here.

GreenSoft Provides REACH Services for Affected Companies

With new substances continually being added to the REACH SVHC list, maintaining your company's compliance can be difficult and time consuming. Collection of Full Material Declaration (FMD) data is necessary to be prepared and avoid having to go through recollection anytime a new substance is added to the regulation.

GreenSoft provides data collection and validation services so that you can report with high-quality current information. GreenData Manager software stores that information, as well as corresponding documents, and generates compliance, status, and due diligence reports. Contact your local representative to learn more.

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Conference

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

GreenSoft Presenting at ChemWatch Expo on EU REACH

chemical-watch

Expo in Berlin Focuses on Practical Steps for Compliance with EU REACH

GreenSoft will be exhibiting at a brand new event hosted by global risk and regulation news outlet Chemical Watch. The Chemical Watch Expo: REACH Into the Future will be held in Berlin on April 25-26. GreenSoft's President, Larry Yen, will be presenting a seminar section at the expo workshop.

This two-day event offers stakeholders guidance on the practical steps that companies must take in order to achieve compliance with the EU REACH regulation. Three workshop streams will be available at the expo ranging from introductory to advanced REACH related topics.

Engage with Service Providers Like GreenSoft at This Dedicated Expo

Attendees will be able to speak directly to regulators, trade associations, service providers and their industry peers at the expo and workshops. GreenSoft will be exhibiting our REACH Data Services and our award-winning GreenData Manager software for REACH and other regulation compliance.

Registration to attend the expo is now open online.

GreenSoft has a limited number of complimentary passes available for those who would like to learn more about our services in person at the event. Contact us at +1-323-254-5961 or online to reserve your complimentary Chemical Watch Expo: REACH Into the Future pass today!

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Regulation Updates

March 1, 2017 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

Updates to CA Prop 65, EU REACH and EU Battery Directive Regulations

New Substances Added and a Recently Expired Exemption Now Applies

EU-REACHSeveral updates have been added to the CA Prop 65, EU REACH and EU Battery Directive regulations over the past few weeks.

New substances have been added to Prop 65 and REACH, while a prior exemption for the Battery Directive has expired.

CA Prop 65

Under California's Proposition 65, Pertuzumab (CAS No. 380610-27-5) and Vismodegib (CAS No. 879085-55-9) have been added to the lists of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added these two new substances to the regulation effective January 27, 2017.

OEHHA's news release on the substance addition can be found online. The last prior update to CA Prop 65 was in fall 2016.

EU REACH

Effective February 9, the European Commission amended Annex XVII of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation to include Bis(pentabromophenyl)ether (decabromodiphenyl ether; decaBDE) (CAS No. 1163-19-5; EC No. 214-604-9).

Per the regulation amendment, decaBDE may not be manufactured or placed on the market as a substance on its own, or as a mixture, component, article, or any part thereof in a concentration equal to or greater than 0.1% by weight, after March 2, 2019.

Aircraft production is exempt from this new restriction until March 2, 2027. And there are exemptions for electrical and electronic equipment within the scope of Directive 2011/65/EU, motor vehicles within the scope of Directive 2007/46/EC, agricultural and forestry vehicles within the scope of Regulation (EU) No 167/2013, and machinery within the scope of Directive 2006/42/EC.

The full text of the amendment can be found online. The last prior update to REACH was in January.

EU Battery Directive

Finally, the existing exemption for portable batteries and accumulators intended for use in cordless power tools under the EU Battery Directive expired on December 31, 2016.

Therefore, effective January 1, it is prohibited to place portable batteries and accumulators, including those incorporated into appliances, on the market that contain more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight, including portable batteries and accumulators intended for use in cordless power tools.

In the 2013 publication of the Battery Directive regulation, which provides details on the recently expired exemption, the Commission noted that suitable cadmium-free substitutes for such applications are available on the market, namely nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion battery technologies.

Get Help With Replacement Parts Sourcing and Compliance Due Diligence

GreenSoft’s experienced worldwide team can help collect substance declaration statements and full-disclosure chemical data for your products and components as part of our Data Services. We will validate the data for accuracy and formatting to make report generation easy using our award-winning GreenData Manager software.

GreenSoft can also help identify non-compliant parts and find second sources for non-compliant components. Get a free Risk Analysis when you contact us!

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