HP’s Search for Greennas-sites.org/emergingscience/files/2011/10/Holder.pdf · Hazard as a Proxy for Risk Simplification •Exposure reduction is not an option for most end uses

© Copyright 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information

contained herein is subject to change without notice.

HP’s Search for Green

Replacements for Restricted

Substances in Electronics

Helen Holder

Corporate Material Selection Manager

20 Sept 2011


contained herein is subject to change without notice. Confidentiality label goes here

Questions

•Why are electronics companies interested in green chemistry?

•What is “green”?

•Choosing better materials for products

•What do we need from green chemists and toxicologists?

2



Why are electronics companies

interested in green chemistry?



The Law That Changed

Everything

ROHS

EU Directive 2002/95/EC on

the Restriction of the Use of

certain Hazardous Substances

in Electrical and Electronic

Equipment

4

Logo from companion regulation Waste Electrical and Electronic

Equipment (WEEE) Directive

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/WEEE_2.svg



More Regulations Coming

Substance restrictions have

become a major class of

regulation for finished

electronic products

• More substances

• More jurisdictions

• More reporting

5



Companies Implemented RoHS Restrictions

Material selection based on:

• Cost

• Function

• Reliability

• Manufacturability

All unregulated substitutes

equally acceptable

6

1 July 2006



Choosing Better Materials

Replacing materials is expensive

–Want to select alternatives that won’t be

restricted in the future

Replacements should have lower

environmental impact

–Want to avoid unintended consequences

–Want to identify preferable materials (not

just minimally acceptable)

7



What is “green”?



What’s green?

Many tools

Lots of information

9



Some Tools and Methods

• Restricted substance list (RSL) screening(like JIG list for electronics)

• LCA

• Risk assessment

• Green Screen/DfE AA

• TURI P2OaSYS

• EPA hazard portion of TRACI

• Dutch QuickScan

• MSDS screening

• R-phrase screening

• Column

• Review of complete dossiers or summary data for each potential chemical

• EPA EPISuite, Oncologic, PBT profiler, etc.

• OSPAR CHARM

• German Evaluation Matrix

• Proprietary – SciVera lens

– MBDC

– SC Johnson GreenList

– Johnson&Johnson Product Scorecard

10



Shift to Hazard Reduction

• More effective to reduce risk through hazard reduction than exposure

• Better to use inherently safer chemicals rather than trying to make a hazardous substance “safe enough” by limiting exposure

• There will always be spills and accidents and exposures, so use safer chemicals

• Want to ensure that replacement technologies have lower environmental impact than restricted substances

• Regulatory bodies are increasingly using hazard as a screen for substances of concern, so useful an indicator of future restriction

• Aligns business process with regulatory process

11



Hazard as a Proxy for Risk

Simplification

• Exposure reduction is not an

option for most end uses of

materials (out of HP’s control)

• Exposure potentials are roughly

equal for the same application

• For screening, hazard becomes

an effective proxy for risk for

the same application

12



Comparative Chemical Hazard Assessment

• Hazard assessments are faster,

easier to complete than

complete LCA or Risk

– Narrower, endpoints are relatively

well defined

– Science-based, facilitates relatively

quick chemical assessments

– Can screen out undesirable options

before investing time and money

13



Green Screen for Safer Chemicals

• Comparative chemical hazard assessment

– Developed by Clean Production Action

• Rates 17 hazard topics (High, Medium, Low)

– Considers both environment and human health

– Addresses constituents and breakdown products

• Decision logic looks at particular combinations of scores for a final

four-point benchmark score

– Uses the most conservative scoring guidelines of previous systems

– Data driven, meaningful thresholds

• Compatible with risk assessment and other tools

14

More information available at http://www.cleanproduction.org



Useful Results

• Expert knowledge is

required to generate and

peer review the score

• Once generated, the score

can be used by others even

if they have no toxicology

training

• Compares alternatives

• Clear categories (1-4) make

decisions easier



Alternatives Assessment with Green Screen Meets Business Needs

Helps us to identify

alternatives that won’t be

restricted in the future

Helps us articulate materials

goals to suppliers and

chemical formulators

16



Choosing better materials for

products



Green Screen for Assessing Replacements for Restricted Substances in Electronics

• Key screening tool that HP uses for alternatives assessment when replacing a restricted substance

• Enables identification of better materials, not just minimum acceptable

• Green Screen results are only part of decision, but initial hazard screening deselects certain options early in assessment process

• HP continues to use Risk Assessment, LCA, and Carbon Footprint tools to complement

18



Integrated Alternatives AssessmentIdentify Chemical of Concern

Characterize end use and function

Identify/develop potential alternatives(including design out)

Hazard AssessmentGreen Screen/R-phrase/GHS/list screening

and ecolabel compliance

Life cycle thinking (other risks or LCA

issues?)

LCA

ExposureAssessment

Select Alternative LCA needed?

Exposure assessment needed?

yes yes

yes

no no

no

Pass technical/economic

assessment?

Parking LotDeselected options that are not less hazardous than original



Engage Formulators Directly

Started as a small program to

learn what works

Engaged directly with formulators

•Allowed us to skip complex parts

of supply chain

•Articulated new goals for

replacements for restricted

materials

20



PVC-Free Power Cord Green Screen Program

• Screening mandatory, in addition to all standard and regulatory requirements

• Full disclosure under CDA

• Over 30 materials screened• Several approved

• 100% of PVC-free power cords have been screened



Next Steps

• Bring Green Screen

requirements to other types of

materials

• Influence formulator culture to

design better materials from

start

• Promote Green Screen in

electronics industry as

screening step – Alternatives assessments, like GC3

phthalate replacements

22



What do we need from green chemists

and toxicologists?



We Need

•New and better materials

•Not as many alternatives as we want

•Design environmental features in from the beginning

•We will keep the door open to new materials

•Fast, predictive assessment of new chemicals

•Chemists (at formulators) with training in green chemistry approaches and toxicology

24



Thank You

25



Backup



The Green Screen for Safer Chemicals 1.0

Endpoints

Fate: includes persistence (P) and bioaccumulation (B)

Ecotoxicity: includes acute (AA) and chronic (CA) aquatic toxicities

Human Health—Priority: includes carcinogenicity (C), mutagenicity (M/G),

reproductive toxicity (RT), developmental toxicity (DT), endocrine disruption (ED) and

neurotoxicity (NT)

Human Health—Nonpriority: includes acute toxicity (AT), corrosion/irritation of

skin/eyes (CISE), sensitization of skin/respiratory system (SSRS), immune system

effects (ISE), and systemic/organ toxicity (S/OT)

Physical Properties: includes explosiveness (E) and flammability (F)



Endpoint Thresholds Harmonized to Existing Criteria

• Assign a hazard level (low, moderate, high, or very high)

• Thresholds harmonized to existing criteria (e.g. GHS)

• Uses all available data to review the chemical against clear criteria

– Data

– Models

– Analogs and expert judgment

– Regulatory lists



Includes constituents and likely breakdown products

Hazard Summary Table

US EPA DfE can provide this info but cannot differentiate (officially)



Apply Logic to Determine Benchmark Score

Documents

HP’s Search for Greennas-sites.org/emergingscience/files/2011/10/Holder.pdf · Hazard as a Proxy for Risk Simplification •Exposure reduction is not an option for most end uses