After the US Green Electronics EPEAT Mark launched the IEEE 1680.2 (TV) standard earlier this year, it has officially opened for registration. The first batch of EPEAT TV certified manufacturers include LG and Samsung. The EPEAT environmental assessment mechanism was originally launched by the United States to evaluate multiple environmental performance standards for electronic products. Since 2006, EPEAT has been the gold standard for sustainability assessment in the electronics industry. Its original intention was to help companies, governments and consumers purchase PCs and monitors that are more environmentally friendly. At first, EPEAT was only applicable to products such as desktop computers, laptops, and computer monitors, but it has gradually expanded to the field of home appliances. According to the IEEE 1680.2 standard, TVs must meet 24 "required" requirements (criteria). If a TV product wants to obtain the EPEAT Gold level, it needs to meet another 29 "optional" requirements. IEEE 1680.2 took four years and was produced by hundreds of stakeholder representatives from environmental groups, manufacturing industries, research institutions, recycling industries, and the public sector. From 2006 to the present, the EPEAT assessment mechanism has achieved considerable results in promoting environmental protection. Consumers who choose to purchase EPEAT-registered electronic products reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 11 million U.S. cars, and reduce toxic emissions by 3

According to a notice submitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the Korean Bureau of Technology and Standards in February this year, South Korea plans to adopt revised adhesive safety standards in April. Following a 60-day consultation period, the proposed standard effective date will be December 2013 or later. There will be two main changes in the revision. The use of PHMG (polyhexamethylene guanidine) and PGH (oligo(2-(2-ethoxy) ethoxyethyl guanidinium chloride) will be restricted in household chemicals. In addition, content ingredients and hazard labeling regulations will be introduced into the newly revised standards , the new standard will also have stricter regulations on "toxicity" labeling. The standard requires manufacturers or importers of household chemical products containing adhesives to obtain product safety certification, and each product model must be designated by the agency. The testing laboratory issues a product safety certificate. The manufacturer or importer must also declare to the safety product certification agency before the product is put on the market or cleared from customs to obtain a marketing authorization. Last year, South Korea notified the WTO of legislation restricting the use of products. Similar substances in air fresheners, deodorants and other household chemical products Source: Chemical Watch (2013-03-07) (PIDC&

The United Nations Environment Program issued a media briefing on April 15 stating that a latest report commissioned by the agency’s “Research Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)” international project and compiled by TruCost, a well-known British environmental consulting company, shows that, Some major production and processing industries, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining, oil and gas exploration, etc., cause annual losses of up to US$7.3 trillion to the environment, health and other key factors related to human well-being. There is an urgent need for international attention. Society takes more stringent measures to ensure ecological sustainability. The report titled "Natural Capital at Risk – The Top 100 Externalities of Business" points out that global companies cause annual environmental losses of approximately 4.7 trillion. US dollars, equivalent to 65% of the total environmental costs caused by environmental impacts in major industries. Most of this comes from greenhouse gas emissions, water and land use, with environmental costs accounting for 38%, 25% and 24% of the total respectively; in addition, losses caused by air pollution, water and soil pollution and waste disposal are 7%, 5 respectively. % and 1%. According to the report, the most environmentally damaging industry is currently coal-fired power generation, especially in Asia and the Americas, with annual losses due to greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and increased health expenditures.

The proportion of UK small green businesses seeking to export low-carbon products and services has tripled in the past two years, demonstrating that the rapid expansion of the UK's emerging small green businesses will play a major role in the export-led recovery. A survey conducted by the Carbon Trust showed that three quarters of UK SMEs plan to expand into new markets within the next two years, while the United States, Germany, China, India, the Middle East and Australia are all considered is an attractive export market. The survey also noted that green companies continued to expand despite the tough economic environment. More than half of green companies say they have created new jobs in the past year, and two-thirds believe they plan to create more jobs in the next year. Data source: Green Trade Information Network (2013-05-14)

Simon Mall in the United States is the first department store in the United States to set up a "Plastic Room" plastic recycling room with a plastic baler inside the mall to collect large amounts of disposable plastic packaging materials produced by retailers in the mall. A spokesman for Simon Mall pointed out that the goods sold in shopping malls are usually protected by PE plastic bags or shrink film plus cartons. Before the goods are put on the shelves, these plastic bags or shrink films are removed, resulting in a large amount of waste plastic waste. Single-use plastic packaging materials are usually very clean. If recycled through the correct pipelines, the subsequent cleaning and recycling process will be simpler than plastic waste sorted and recycled from municipal waste, and the negative impact on the environment will be relatively reduced. \many. Therefore, the three department stores owned by Simon Mall took the lead in introducing plastic packaging machines and setting up plastic packaging material recycling rooms in the malls to recycle these clean disposable plastic packaging materials in a unified manner. Retailers send discarded plastic packaging materials to the "Plastic Room", where these plastic packaging materials are compressed by balers into plastic cubes that do not take up space. In order to reduce the negative impact on the environment, Simon Mall takes the initiative to recycle waste plastic packaging materials generated by retailers in the mall. It also seeks help from the American Chemistry Council (American Chemistry Council) to find appropriate recycling and processing companies.

Children's toys must comply with Europe's new ban on the use of dozens of chemicals that scientists say may cause cancer, harm reproduction or trigger allergies, the European Commission said. The European Commission today (July 19, 2013) emphasized: "From now on, when manufacturing toys, you cannot use substances that can cause cancer, cause genetic mutations or affect fertility, nor can you use the 55 substances in the list that can cause allergies. The European Commission also stipulates that for 11 substances, manufacturers must add warnings on labels to warn that these substances "may be allergens" and strengthen restrictions on 19 so-called "heavy metal elements" such as lead or barium. Antonio Tajani, the European Commission's Industry Executive, stressed that if new scientific assessments emerge, the Commission will immediately propose new regulations. For the full text of the Toy Directive, please refer to the attachment: EU Toy Directive_English version Source: Environmental Information Center (2013-07-22) Attachment file: EU Toy Directive_English version.pdf

Makati is one of the cities in Metro Manila in the Philippines. It is the 16th most populous city in the Philippines and is the financial center of the Philippines. This city, which is equivalent to Taipei's Xinyi District, will implement Southeast Asia's strictest plastic bag ban starting from June, banning plastic bags, Styrofoam and other non-biodegradable single-use materials. The Solid Waste Management Regulations were passed in 2003. The plastic bag ban was originally scheduled to begin on January 1, 2013, but was extended again at the end of last year to June 1, 2013. Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay pointed out that there are approximately 17,500 food retailers and restaurants in the city, and they have more than nine years to prepare for this ban. According to this regulation, violators may be fined, imprisoned, or both, and those with serious conduct may even have their business license revoked. Manufacturers must submit an inventory of plastic bags, Styrofoam and other non-biodegradable single-use materials in their stores between June 3 and 7, 2013 to avoid penalties. Source: Cleanbiz Asia (2013-05-28) (PIDC compilation)

At the end of April 2013, the Korean Congress passed the Draft Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals, which requires all regulated hazardous substances to be registered and evaluated starting from January 1, 2015. Since the draft follows the concept of the EU REACH regulations and has many similarities with it, it is called Korean REACH (K-REACH) by the industry. Similar to the promulgation of EU REACH regulations, the issuance of Korean REACH also took a long time. K-REACH is similar to the EU REACH regulations. It is also a regulation that regulates substances. Its content also covers registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction in a framework. It is similar to the EU, such as the registration of hazardous substances. An only representative (OR) in Korea is required to complete. Currently, manufacturers and importers of chemical substances regulated by K-REACH are obliged to provide risk assessment reports to the Korean Ministry of Environment, but users of substances are not covered by this obligation. Substance safety use information is also required to be passed down from the upstream of the supply chain, including substance manufacturers and importers. Manufacturers also have the obligation to convey risk information in the supply chain. If the product contains hazardous substances in an amount greater than 1 ton/year, and the concentration in the finished product is higher than 0.1%, they should also report it. The finished product contains hazardous substances, but in Will not be released during use

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) recently released the most comprehensive "material flow" and "resource productivity" trend report for the Asia-Pacific region, warning that the current rate of resource consumption in the Asia-Pacific may no longer be able to support the rapid economic growth and life in the Asia-Pacific. Change the way; and emphasize that the "material intensity" of this area, that is, the "material consumption per dollar of GDP", is three times that of other regions in the world, which requires great attention. The trend report pointed out that from 1970 to 2008, the consumption of construction minerals in the Asia-Pacific region increased by 13.4 times, the consumption of metal ores and industrial minerals increased by 8.6 times, fossil fuels increased by 5.4 times, and biomass energy increased by 2.7 times. Data shows that at this rate of consumption, the region will become increasingly dependent on imports for its material needs and will be unable to sustain its economic growth and lifestyle changes. Current consumption rates also have negative impacts on the environment. Although the UNEP report does not include Taiwan, Taiwan has also established a material flow database construction plan under the National Science Council. According to the analysis in 2011, the total amount of materials mined and imported by Taiwan was nearly 400 million tons. , air pollutants discharged into the environment accounted for 280 million tons, and exported substances accounted for 42 million tons. Professor Li Yuming, who participated in the research, pointed out that "material flow analysis" is a systematic method used to analyze the use of materials in a specific area and examine the flow of materials from extraction, use to disposal. At present, the material flow database of the National Science Council has been updated to 2011, and the 2012 research results are expected to be released by the end of 2013.

According to the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL) announced by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, starting from April 1, 2011, manufacturers and importers in Japan are required to The so-called annual notification of new chemical substances is carried out. If the notification is not carried out in accordance with the law, there will be a situation where smooth manufacturing or import may not be possible. In December last year (2012), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan announced the production/import volume and reporting period of new chemical substances that are subject to notification this year (2013). The so-called small-volume new chemical substances refer to the annual manufacturing/import volume of less than or equal to 1 ton. Therefore, the notification obligation period for small-volume new chemical substances this year is as follows: Stage New chemical substance production/import period &nb

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has signed legislation banning formaldehyde in child care products, making Minnesota the first state in the United States to enact such a bill. According to this legislation, starting from August 1, 2015, all marketed care products for children under the age of 8, such as lotions and shampoos, must not contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing substances. The governor also signed a bill banning bisphenol A from infant formula and infant food containers. Starting from August 1, 2014, manufacturers will no longer be able to sell the above-mentioned products that intentionally add bisphenol A. This ban will take effect on retailers of the above products from August 1, 2015. These two bills also specifically mention that chemicals used to replace bisphenol A, formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing substances in affected products must not be known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, genetic harm, or have the potential to cause development, immunity, , toxic substances in the nervous and reproductive systems. Source: Chemical Watch (2013-05-23) (PIDC compilation)

An analysis of reports submitted by children's product manufacturers in Washington between June 1, 2012 and March 1, 2013 showed that more than 5,000 children's products contain at least one chemical of high concern to the state. Under Washington State's Children's Safe Products Act, manufacturers of children's products must submit safety reports on substances of very high concern in their products. This reporting mechanism started in 2012, and the next report submission deadline is August 2013. This analysis report lists 41 substances of very high concern that appear in children's products, including cadmium, mercury, cobalt, phthalates, formaldehyde, arsenic, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone, and decabromodiphenyl ether (decabromodiphenyl ether) and D4 (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane). The report pointed out that the categories of children's products containing the above substances of high concern include toys, baby products, car seats, children's cosmetics and clothing. Among them, clothing covers the largest number of products, followed by footwear, toys, jewelry and accessories. and baby products. The authors of this analysis report, two non-profit organizations, Washington Toxics Coalition and Safer States, strongly recommend that other state governments establish mechanisms to report substances of very high concern in products and collect the results of the analysis report to strengthen legislation to control hazardous substances. Ensure the health and safety of children. Source: &