RoHS and REACH are fundamentally different from the traditional “command-and-control” environmental legislation that preceded them. These European directives are driving de facto world standards that have strategic implications for the semiconductor and allied industries, which depend on access to a wide and growing range of chemicals.

If you are interested in the strategic implications of RoHS and REACH and managing the impact based on industry experience, then presentations from the EHS Interest Group meeting at SEMICON West (July 18, 2007) may interest you. The meeting included discussions on how opportunities and challenges will change in the industry, and how EHS managers will need to adapt to these new situations.

The EHS Interest Group meeting explored the technical management and business aspects of handling RoHS and REACH in individual companies and the supply chains of equipment and material suppliers to the semiconductor and allied fabrication industries. The meeting was a Global Careactivity sponsored by the International Compliance and Regulatory Committee.

These presentations are below.

• “Challenges and Opportunities Presented by Product—Targeted Environmental Regulation,”by Mike Kirschner of Design Chain Associates
• “Broader Implications of RoHS for Semiconductor Equipment,”by Brian Claes of Lam Research
• “Supplier Perspectives on Safe, Sustainable RoHS Compliance,”by Tom Redick, Global Environmental Ethics Counsel
• “REACH—Who Does What in the Supply Chain?”by Keith Huckle, Dow Corning
• “REACH— Impact to the Equipment Manufacturer Below the 1 Ton Threshold,”by Lauren Crane, Applied Materials