Fujitsu Ltd has set itself a December 2002 deadline for the elimination lead from its products. The Japanese computer manufacturer, the second largest in the world, said it has begun a phased elimination of toxic materials from its production processes, and has set itself an interim target of readying a complete range of lead-free LSI products by October 2000. It also plans to remove lead from 50% of the circuit boards shipped in its products by December 2001.
Fujitsu said its action is prompted by the view that, despite the reluctance of government bodies to regulate against the use of toxic substances in electronic equipment, the reduction in the use of lead in electronic devices is an inevitable task for the future from the standpoint of global environmental protection. For this reason the company has already developed two types of lead-free solder, which have already been used in the manufacture of its GS8900 servers.
