European Commission to Prohibit Cadmium
European Commission to Prohibit Cadmium from TVs and Displays by October 2019
The European Commission has 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.
Dr. Michael Edelman, CEO of Nanoco, a world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, said:
“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. 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. 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.”
Dr. Edelman continued:
“Cadmium-based technology has been a non-starter from the beginning. 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 colour 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.”
– ENDS –
For further information, please contact:
Nanoco
Michael Edelman, Chief Executive Officer
David Blain, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 161 603 7900
Caroline Watson, Investor Relations Manager
cwatson@nanocotechnologies.com
Tel: + 44 (0) 7799 897357
Peel Hunt
Adrian Trimmings
George Sellar
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7418 8900
MHP Communications
Reg Hoare / Andrew Leach / Giles Robinson
nanoco@mhpc.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3128 8788
Notes for editors:
About Nanoco Group plc
Nanoco is a world leader in the development and production of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials for use in multiple applications including LCD displays, lighting, solar cells and bio-imaging. In the display market, Nanoco has non-exclusive manufacturing and marketing licensing agreements with The Dow Chemical Company, Merck KGaA and Taiwan’s Wah Hong Industrial Corporation. Nanoco also has a strategy of direct sales in display and in its other target markets, including lighting.
Nanoco was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Manchester, UK. It has production facilities in Runcorn, UK, and a US subsidiary, Nanoco Inc, based in Concord, MA. Nanoco also has business development executives in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Its technology is protected worldwide by a large and growing patent estate.
Nanoco is listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol NANO. For further information please visit: www.nanocogroup.com.
