Generation of e-waste may have got enough attention in the country but the prospect of automobile scrap, loaded with hazardous substances, piling up is still to be given a thought. While they can ignore these issues in the domestic market, automakers that are exporting will have to worry about complying with EU directives on end of life vehicle (ELV) and restriction of hazardous substance (RoHS) and waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE).
Europe generates eight to nine million tonnes of waste and these directives are to deal with this. ELV aims at reducing content of heavy metals in automobiles. Components have to be dismantled and metals recovered and recycled. The attempt is first to avoid putting hazardous materials and reduce waste by reusing and recycling. RoHS restricts the use of hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated piphenyls and diphenyls ethers. A company that sell in the global markets have no option but to comply as the responsibility rests with the producer, assembler or importer of the vehicles.
?Maruti and Hero Honda have started complying with these directives in India for their exports,? says Wataru Tajima, deputy MD, Shimadzu Analytical (India) Pvt Ltd. Tajima said these companies are among the few putting in place a green procurement policy. Toyota Kirloskar and Honda Siel also have these policies but there may not be more than 10 to 15 companies doing this.
India is trying to catch up and the ministry of environment and forests is trying to improve the situation and have done it for e-waste, says Tajima. India should be generating much less waste than Europe because it has fewer vehicles now but this number will increase in future, he points out. ?Sooner or later it will come and there will be no choice but to comply,? says Tajima.
Tajima sees big growth for Shimadzu in the automotive segment in India as he feels there is a lack of good private testing facilities with good standards. Shimadzu Analytical is the Indian subsidiary of the Kyoto based Shimadzu.
Shimadzu is targeting the Indian market with its testing solutions to enable manufacturers comply with EU ELV/ RoHS directives.