The Chinese government has completed the policy on electronics and IT hardware pollution prevention, slated to launch in January 2005. The legislation will exempt color TV makers from all warranty and maintenance responsibilities for electronics and IT hardware after seven to eight year's usage. Eventually, the Chinese public will be required to discard color TVs used over seven or eight years.

 

Over-extended use of electronics has long been a problem in China, bringing safety and environmental concerns. The Chinese government began drafting the policy in early 2004 to address the problem, endeavoring to shorten the service lives of electronic goods in China.

 

The speeding up of device replacement has been a visible trend, however, the regulation's requirements concerning this point have been controversial. Whether the demand will burden consumers at the lower end of the pyramid or encroach on their rights is at question. Cooperation from channel players, maintenance departments, secondary market, and recycling departments will also play an important part in policy implementation, preventing discarded goods from being reassembled and resold into the market.

 

The policy covers goods such as communications devices, TVs, computing devices, home appliances, measuring instruments, electronic components, and electronic materials.

 

Regulations also cover environmental protection during the design, production, and packaging stages. In addition, starting from July 2006, all electronics must have labels indicating material compositions, recommended lifetimes, and recycling information; manufacturers or importers will also be responsible for organizing reclaiming, processing, and reuse procedures. Starting July 2006, Goods will also need to be free of these six toxic elements: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB (PolyBrominated Biphenyl), and PBDE (PolyBrominated Diphenyl Ether).