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The Next Big Design ChallengeYou might not know it yet, but designing for the environment will become a major issue as countries set strict recycling and reuse standards and limit the use of harmful materials. Companies that get ahead of the curve will have a competitive advantage.
Sun Microsystems Inc. is no stranger to the challenges of environmental-poli cy implementation. In 1992, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched the power-saving initiative known as Energy Star, engineers at Sun had to redesign all of the company's computer products to meet the new specification.
These days, the $11 billion computer company is grappling with European legislation that requires manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment to certify that the contents of their products-at least 75 percent, by weight-can be recycled to reduce the amount of e-waste going into landfills.
The directive known as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) takes effect on Aug. 13, although companies are required to certify WEEE compliance well in advance of that date. Currently, seven countries and five U.S. states have pending WEEE-like legislation, according to Richard Hess, manager for global environment, health and safety at Sun (Palo Alto, Calif).
"We outsource all of our product assembly, so the big issue for us is making sure the supply chain
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12/4/2005 | Viewed 6,969 time(s)
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