Dear IPC Members:

This weekly newsletter is a snapshot of the top issues we’re working on for you all over the world. Please let us know if you have questions and suggestions.

All the best,

Chris Mitchell
Vice President, Global Government Relations

TOP OF THE WEEK

IPC Needs You In Washington, March 25-26: IPC is calling on all member-company senior-level executives to participate in IPC’s signature advocacy event, IMPACT Washington, D.C. 2020, coming up on March 25-26 in Washington, D.C. Join with industry leaders in advocating for U.S. Government policies to support electronics manufacturing and reliability. Policymakers want to hear from you, their constituents, about the decisions they make that affect your business. Don’t worry if you have never attended IMPACT or engaged in advocacy before; the IPC Government Relations team will be on-hand to support you throughout the event. Contact Ken Schramko if you have questions, or click here to register!
 
Which Government Policy Issues Give You the Most Pain? IPC conducts an ongoing member survey about the government policy issues that concern you most and how they impact your company. Dozens of members took the survey while at IPC APEX EXPO, and here are the updated survey results. When asking our members to identify their top areas of concern, a majority mentioned trade and tariffs (54 percent). A second tier of top issues are education and workforce skills (35 percent); incentives for research, development, and investment (35 percent); intellectual property protection (30 percent); taxes (27 percent); and environmental regulations (27 percent). Which government policy issues matter the most to you? Simply click here to take our five-minute survey.

Top Takeaways from IPC APEX EXPO 2020: Before IPC APEX EXPO 2020 fades away in the rearview mirror, here are my seven top takeaways as featured in the I-Connect007 Show & Tell Magazine. If you were unable to be at APEX this year, check out their in-depth coverage. Hope to see everyone in San Diego again in 2021! IPC Contact: Chris Mitchell.

IPC ADVOCACY AND YOU

IPC Pursuing Continued Funding for Pb-free Electronics Research: Late last year, IPC was successful in securing federal funding in Fiscal 2020 for research into lead-free electronics in high-performance missions. As a result of advocacy by IPC and its partners, the U.S. Congress appropriated $5 million to restart Pb-free research under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Defense. The funding is a positive step, showing that the U.S. Government recognizes the need to close the knowledge gap concerning the reliability of Pb-free alternatives in aerospace and defense electronics. We believe that a five-year, $40 million investment in a public-private R&D program would yield more than $100 million in U.S. defense savings per year and improve military readiness and overall innovation. If your company would like to join the consortium that is working to secure funding for Pb-free R&D in Fiscal 2021, please contact Ken Schramko. 

ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND SAFETY

New Fees May Be Coming Under TSCA: Manufacturers and importers of chemical substances designated as High Priority Substances under the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) may be subject to new fee obligations. The fees are associated with each U.S. EPA-initiated risk evaluation for each of the 20 HP Substances. The EPA has opened a 60-day comment period during which the public has the opportunity to review preliminary lists of manufacturers and importers of the chemicals and to self-identify irrespective if they are on the lists. The preliminary lists were developed using the most up-to-date information available, including information submitted to the EPA under the Chemical Data Reporting Rule and the Toxics Release Inventory. For more information, please see the final fees rule or participate in an EPA conference call on February 24. If you would like to comment on preliminary lists, please contact Kelly Scanlon.

Does Your Company Use Engineered Nanomaterials? The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intends to evaluate the scientific data on engineered nanomaterials to develop recommended occupational exposure limits based on the available scientific evidence. NIOSH is seeking materials, including published and unpublished reports and research findings, to evaluate the possible adverse health risks of occupational exposure to engineered nanomaterials. If you would like to share information with NIOSH or with us, please contact Kelly Scanlon.

Learn How to Register Nanoforms under REACH: The European Chemicals Agency is hosting a free webinar on February 24 on how to have a registration compliant with REACH requirements for those who manufacture or import nanoforms of substances within the scope of REACH. IPC Contact: Kelly Scanlon.

Just Released: U.S. President’s Funding Priorities:  U.S President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request proposes cuts in funding for several Executive Branch agencies that oversee EHS-related laws including the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. EPA, which would see a 26 percent cut in its budget. The president’s budget request is the first in a multi-step budget authorization and appropriations process. IPC will continue to track the budget process and provide relevant updates. IPC Contact: Kelly Scanlon.

New Ecodesign Work Plan: The European Commission will present a new Ecodesign Work Plan for 2020-2024 later this year. The plan will assess which products should be regulated in the next five years, including products such as mobile phones, printers, common chargers and ICT equipment. Ecodesign legislation covers product design requirements related to energy and material efficiency. The commission is also planning to review the methodology underpinning the Ecodesign Directive to make it more “circular economy” friendly. IPC Contact: Alison James.

EU Withdraws Flame Retardants Exemptions Under UN Treaty: The European Union has withdrawn exemptions under the United Nation’s Stockholm Convention that allow the recycling of articles that contain, or may contain, a number of banned flame retardants. The decision aims to align with changes adopted under the EU Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) regulation that was recast last year and prohibits any waste operations that might lead to recovery, recycling, reclamation or re-use of POPs. Withdrawal of the exemptions impacts the EU recycling industry since concentrations of those flame retardants in e-waste plastics have been reduced considerably. IPC Contact: Alison James.

European Union to Discuss Restrictions on PFAS: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known also as “forever chemicals”, will be targeted in the upcoming chemical regulations strategy, due this summer, according to European Union Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius. Meanwhile, the Netherlands announced its intention to launch a procedure under REACH to restrict the nonessential use of PFAS. So far, only two derivates of the PFAS group (PFOA and PFOS) have been regulated in the EU under the Stockholm Convention and the REACH chemicals regulation. IPC Contact: Alison James.

EUROPEAN UNION

European Commission Presents its Priorities for 2020: On January 29, the European Commission adopted its 2020 Commission Work Programme, which outlines 43 new policy objectives. Notably, on February 19, a White Paper on Artificial Intelligence will propose several options for future regulations. On March 4, a New Circular Economy Action Plan will present several initiatives addressing chemicals, sustainable production and consumption, waste, circularity in value chains and plastics. The New Industrial Policy, set to be presented on the same day, will focus on digital transformation and green transition. IPC Contact: Alison James.

EU to Strengthen Non-Financial Reporting Requirements for Large Companies: To foster sustainable investments, the European Union is planning to revise its framework for non-financial reporting. In a recent inception impact assessment, the European Commission spelled out different policy options for revising the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) in Q4 2020 – one of which is to explore the use of EU-endorsed standards for voluntary reporting. The NFRD applies to large listed companies with more than 500 employees and sets the framework for reporting information regarding environmental, social, labor and human rights impacts. IPC Contact: Alison James.

TRADE

Brussels Ready to Negotiate Trade Deal with the U.K. Upon “Strict” Conditions: On February 1, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union after nearly 50 years of membership. Shortly after, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, outlined the EU’s willingness to negotiate an “ambitious agreement” with the United Kingdom with “zero tariffs and zero quotas on all goods entering the single market,” upon certain conditions. Barnier says the draft mandate for negotiations will now be discussed among EU countries, with the hope they can agree on the mandate by end of February so negotiations can start soon after that. A unanimous decision by the EU27 is needed to conclude the future trade deal, meaning any EU Member State has the option of vetoing the future deal. IPC Contact: Alison James.

EU Trade Chief Visits Washington for Trade Talks: European Union trade chief Phil Hogan met his United States counterpart Robert Lighthizer on February 6, in preparation for a trade agreement that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to strike with the U.S. within weeks. Hogan says the EU is seeking to secure an agreement that could possibly include non-tariff barriers as a way to resolve “a long list of agricultural regulatory barriers” on both sides. IPC Contact: Alison James.

UPCOMING EVENTS

IMPACT Washington, D.C.: March 25-26, 2020. This is IPC’s signature U.S. advocacy event, providing opportunities for members to educate policy makers on the issues that affect them most. Please learn more and plan on joining us in DC! IPC Contact: Chris Mitchell.

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