Regulation: In the EU, substances are restricted by the Marketing and Use Directive and production processes may need to comply with IPPC, restrictions on emissions to water and to air and health and safety regulations. Compliance with these requirements is important from several perspectives; legal, ethical, and to secure investment. These factors figure prominently under the banner of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Markets: Chemicals are used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards, components, electronic materials and in the recycling of waste electrical equipment at end of life. The philosophy of IPPC is to use the best available technology and minimise the emission of wastes.

Services: ERA is an established provider of compliance services to the electrical and electronic product sector for decades including the EMC, LVD and RoHS Directives. ERA’s RFA group carries out independent audits of chemical processes to review compliance with EU and national legislation, and assess their efficacy versus best available technology (BAT). ERA has the necessary skills and experience for carrying out environmental reviews of processes as staff include chemists who have been involved in the development of a variety of novel processes from inception to scale up and commissioning of new plant.