`Ecology` is emerging as the new keyword for the 21st century’s trade barrier. Electric appliance industries are at great pains to work on the preparation for the regulation of the responsible recycling of the manufacturers, which will be effective from November of this year.
Japan already introduced `electric appliance wastes recycle law` last month. Europe and the US will also introduce similar laws soon. Regulations of the gas exhaust have been strengthening. Those movements to strengthen the environmental regulations will eventually lead to the aggravation of the export circumstances of the developmental countries.
World widespread recycling electric appliances.
Korea abandoned its regulation for the manufacturers to deposit money for the recycling of electric appliance wastes, which had been effective until last from 1992. Rather, Korea will introduce the system that the manufacturers are responsible for the recycling of electric appliance wastes
In advance of the full scale application, the regulation will be applied to the central region of Korea as an example, where there is the recycling center of Samsung electronics, Asan. Once this system is introduced, which Samsung, LG, and Daewoo assume the responsibility for the recycling of their assigned regions, Japanese electric appliance companies that intend to compete in the Korean market will have to increase their expenditure for the use of recycling centers. Korean companies in Japan also have suffered from the same problems.
EU will pass the bill this year for the electronic companies to collect old products. The US is under discussion for future systematization.
Green cars : To make the auto companies responsible for manufacturing green cars is the trend of the environmental policies even though the State of California postponed the introduction of `zero-emission` system, which obligates the manufacture to include at least 10 percent zero-emission cars in the exported cars until 2006.
Customers and Manufacturers, What is going to change?
This system will reduce the customers` expenditure for the treatment of wastes. Presently, customers have to report to their town hall and have to pay 6,000 –8,000 won when they throw away the old electric appliances. On introducing a new system, the manufacturers will pay half of the price that the customers have paid thus far.
The electronic appliance companies also welcomes the new policy. However, unlike in Japan and EU, Korean industries have to pay by themselves for the construction of the recycling centers without any support from the local governments. Furthermore, the companies need to standardize all plastic materials used in the electric appliances and develop green products that can split more easily.