It is a regulation that prohibits importing and producing all kinds of the electric and electronic products which contains six hazardous objects such as cadmium, palladium, mercury, 6-cromuim, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDE), etc. from July 2006.

The Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

• Overseas
• - The subject of the restriction: The countries that import electrical and electronic equipment.
• - The member states: European countries, U.S.A., Japan, China, etc.
• Domestic
• - The subject of the restriction: electrical/electronic industry
• - The member company: Samsung Electronics, LG electronic, Sony, NEC, etc.

About 90% (6 million ton) of waste electrical and electronics equipment (WEEE) is filled up or burnt up.

The directive of the European Union for handling WEEE (Directive 2002/96/EC)

The legislation for the sound recovery and disposal of WEEE in EU (13th Feb., 2003)
The each country of EU has brought in force the laws, regulations, and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the EC treaty, clause 175 (The Object: the environmental conservation itself).

Increase in WEEE and environmental load (ground and water pollution) caused by inappropriate treatment.

• The generation amount of WEEE
• - A resident: about 14kg a year
• - Total: about 5 million ton per year
• The increasing rate of WEEE
• - Three times more than the rate of general urban waste
• The final treatment of WEEE
• - 90% of E-waste is filled up, burnt up, or recycled without pretreatment.

• The Purpose
• - Prevent the generation of WEEE
• - Reduce the final amount through reuse, recycle, etc.
• - Improve the environmental result in life-cycle of WEEE
• The limited of application
• - The electrical and electronic products which belong under the 10 classification in attachment IA.
• - Except the security equipment, munitions, strategic material, etc.