Notification date: 2022-02-15

Assessment according to criteria for electronics 

Byggvarubedömningen ekonomisk förening has decided to adopt new criteria for electronic products. The new criteria for electronics differentiate in the reporting of electronics and other components in these products. Thus, we enable correct content declarations and comparable assessments, which is the basis for conscious material choices in the construction process. Change of criteria applies from 1 October 2022.

Background
Byggvarubedömningen ekonomisk förening has decided to implement changes to the reporting requirements and assessments of electrical technic/electronic products. In dialogue with industry organizations, the challenges of declaring electronics in accordance with our current requirements have been made clear. Long upstream processes and rapid changes of subcontractors are some of the obstacles that exist for correct declaration of the content of electronic products.

The content declaration forms the basis of our assessments. Firstly, by beng able to compare different products and make informed choices based on current knowledge about the impact of chemicals on human health and the environment, and secondly, to be able to trace, today unknown, environmental pollutants in the future.

Assessment in accordance with criteria for electronics
To clarify what is electronics in a product and how much of the composite product consists of electronics, the assessment of chemical content is divided into two parts: Other and Electronics. What we call Other must be reported in accordance with our current requirements and criteria. Electronics is defined as circuit board laminate and the components mounted there. Components that are not directly mounted on the printed circuit board for space or functional reasons are included. The definition also includes what is used to assemble/connect components on the printed circuit board, so-called connection. Enclosure, i.e. the casing of metal or plastic that normally encloses the electronics is not included in the definition of electronics and must be reported as Other. We will assume that all electronics contain brominated flame retardants and indicate this in the assessment.

Electronics are required to report the following information for assessment Accepted:

• The part that electronic makes out for of the total product in grams and weight percent. Can be reported, when correct, as less than 2% by weight.
• Electronics must be reported to the best of their ability at substance level and/or through named main functions/components.
• Substances on the candidate list ((EG) 1907/2006) must be reported when they are included in concentrations above 0.1% by weight percent in a component.
• Certificate of compliance with the RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU) must be attached.
  
  

The basis for reporting is a building product declaration where the content is reported. Substance content/components that are covered by the definition Electronics need to be clearly marked out in the content declaration, for example in the comments field or as name of a component.

In our Web Service, the electronics product receives a BVBID and an overall assessment. The assessment is marked with a new symbol to clarify that other criteria apply to electronics. Assessment according to electronic criteria means that assessments are reported for: Other chemical content, Electronics chemical content and the entire product's life cycle as shown below. The overall assessment can be Accepted Electronics or Avoid Electronics. For electronics, the total assessment cannot be Recommended as assessment of chemical content for electronics entails relief from the requirements that exist for other material groups. 

Evaluation of assessment in accordance with criteria for electronics
The criteria for assessment of electronics are to be evaluated after a period of time so that the reporting requirements can be updated gradually and in dialogue with the industry. The goal is to motivate the electronics industry to request more information within their own supply chains so that electronics can be reported in the same way as other materials. Byggvarubedömningen aims to ensure that as much and as accurate information about content as possible is reported for construction and installation materials so that actors in the industry can make informed choices today and to increase future traceability.

Dates and information
The changes enter into force on October 1, 2022. More information on how existing assessments will be handled and events for information will be published in the spring. If you have any questions, please contact: bedomning@byggvarubedomningen.se

Reference
Byggvarubedömningen’s criteria as they are applied today, without updates for electronics: Criteria 6.1