TechWonk Blog Subsection
TechWonk Blog
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Europe's approach to product sustainability, the EU Green Deal, is entering a new phase and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is at the center of it. These new requirements will determine how products, from smartphones and servers to household appliances and beyond, are designed, how long they last, and what happens to them at the end of their useful life. These are not abstract [...]
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It鈥檚 easy to forget just how much technology has changed our world and our lives. A little more than a decade ago, a small business owner relied on foot traffic from local customers rather than web visits from international shoppers to grow. Drivers mapped out unfamiliar routes and took wrong turns instead of using precise, voice-activated directions to travel. Cancer patients faced an uncertain diagnosis [...]
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Today the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved with unanimous support a bipartisan bill, the EPS Service Parts Act of 2014 (H.R. 5057), introduced by Reps. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Paul Tonko (D-NY), that will extend current energy efficiency standards so manufacturers can continue to produce, distribute and service energy efficient external power supplies (EPS) for older, out of production [...]
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Significant alignment between the U.S. and EU standards and regulations approaches can mean significant new opportunities for our economies, including new jobs and innovative products and services for consumers.聽 Today in Brussels, U.S. Trade Representative Mike Froman made that evident. 聽 Our goals for T-TIP are clear.聽 A successful negotiation will create a comprehensive agreement, which not only [...]
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This week, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh travels to Washington for meetings with President Obama and top Administration officials. Their primary topic: economic growth. But several key policies being pursued by the Indian government would work to restrict the import of innovative products and services into India, setting back that nation鈥檚 economy with ripple effects globally. We鈥檝e written [...]
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The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) presents significant opportunities for new job creation and economic growth for both the United States and the European Union 鈥� if negotiators can forge an agreement that reflects the dynamic, innovative marketplace in both regions. That鈥檚 the message 91快活林鈥檚 Dean Garfield will offer at a Wednesday House hearing on TTIP. Dean鈥檚 testimony is going [...]
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In my previous blog, I talked about the importance of standards, and how the Responsible Recycling (R2) standard set the bar for the safe recycling of electronics. When I wrote that blog, the R2 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was in the final stages of updating the original R2 Standard (R2:2008) to become the new, improved R2:2013 Standard. Since that blog, the R2 Board of Directors (which includes [...]
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Nearly 200 company representatives from several industry sectors participated in our first-ever 91快活林 Sustainability Series 鈥� product policy and compliance seminars held in Round Rock, Tex., Santa Clara, Calif., and Schaumburg, Ill. Many thanks to our hosts 鈥� Dell, Intel, and Motorola Solutions, respectively 鈥� and to the diverse speakers who shared their expertise at the seminars. We presented the seminars [...]
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Tech is involved in myriad energy and environmental sustainability issues 鈥� each with its own complexities and differing global approaches.聽 In an effort to break down some of these challenges and brainstorm on potential solutions, 91快活林, joined by IPC and SEMI, are hosting three sustainability events focused on developing regulations and compliance efforts. This regional series is a great opportunity [...]
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Four U.S. Senators 鈥� two Democratic, two Republican 鈥� have joined in introducing a Senate resolution calling for stronger diplomatic engagement to bring peace to the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Senator Chris Coons, D-Del., Senator Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Senator John Boozman, R-Ark., and Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., have united to send a clear message that a lasting solution [...]