To meet demands from Japanese car makers, local suppliers have agreed to reduce the amount of lead and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used in their products, BRG Automotive Newswire reported, citing Nikkei News. The report said the car makers need to do this to comply with new environmental regulations being implemented in Europe and likely to be passed in Asia and North America as well.
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According to the report, Toyota supplier Denso has agreed to switch to lead-free solder by 2008 at all of its circuit board plants and Nissan supplier Calsonic Kansei will move to lead-free solder by 2005.
BRG Automotive Newswire said that all manufacturers are aiming to reduce the use of PVC as an interior surface or seating material and as insulation for automotive wiring while the motor industry, which is vitally important to PVC makers, is attempting to find safer and easier ways to dismantle and recycle components of vehicles at the end of their life cycle.
The report said that PVC can be recycled, but that is not easy and it cannot be mixed with recycled olefin-based plastics or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
BRG Automotive Newswire noted that another potential problem with PVC was revealed in a report last year by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), which said there was a potential hazard of emissions from PVC used in vehicle interiors.
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