The European Union thinks so, at least as far as its recently enacted RoHS Directive is concerned. The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, which went into effect on July 1st, is designed to restrict the use of certain hazardous materials in the manufacturing of electronics devices. The Palm Treo 650 runs afoul of this directive, as does many other electronics devices from other makers. Palm was forced to stop selling the 650 in Europe until a new replacement product that is within RoHS guidelines can be developed, hopefully says Palm, within the coming months.
Other manufacturers are expected to be withdrawing their products as well, pending more environmentally-friendly redesigns. Once these designs are worked out, let’s hope the manufacturers start selling this greener gear to the worldwide market, not just where they’re “directed” to do so.
[Via Treehugger]