The right tools for the job

Christmas is usually a boom time for sales of tools, especially power tools. But which tools are the right tools? Jane Turner investigates.

This report covers both power tools and hand tools such as drills, jigsaws, sanders, screwdrivers and workbenches. It does not cover garden tools such as lawn mowers. The brands covered are not a comprehensive list but it does cover those most often purchased in the UK.
Most of the companies in this report specialise in making tools or machinery. The exceptions are Robert Bosch and Alba, two companies that produce a wider variety of electrical equipment.

Retooling overseas

UK-based companies are in the majority &mdash Alba, JCB and Draper. There are two US companies &mdash Black & Decker and Stanley, and only one Japanese one, Makita. Robert Bosch is based in Germany.

Black & Decker closed down its factory in County Durham in 2002 and moved to the Czech Republic where wage costs were lower. 950 jobs were lost in the UK.(1) In the same year, the company closed its factories in the US and moved 2,400 jobs to Mexico, China and the Czech Republic, all low-wage economies.(2) This trend of relocating to low wage economies is endemic in most manufacturing industries.

Green companies?

Only Bosch scores relatively well on environmental reporting, being the only company to produce a separate Environment Report. Most of the others either just had an environmental policy statement or they only briefly mentioned environmental matters in their Annual Reports. Stanley Works had no mention of environmental matters on its website or in its Annual Reports.

Green tooling

Only a few power tools are necessary for basic home maintenance. An electric drill, for example, is virtual essential for some jobs. But most power tools will only get used for a total of 15 minutes over their entire lifetime.(6)

• If you don't make your living from using specialist power tools and only use them occasionally, you could rent from hire shops or borrow from friends or neighbours.
• Sharing tools saves money, reduces clutter and fosters community. LETS, the local exchange trading system, is a good community sharing scheme.
• Using hand tools instead of power tools can save money and reduces pollution. A sharpening stone can extend the life of chisels, screwdrivers and planes.
• Donate unwanted hand tools to e.g. Tools for Self Reliance who refurbish them and send them to tradespeople in Africa. You need to check what tools they need. They don't collect electric tools or garden tools.

Another group is Workaid who are short of hand tools for carpentry, masonry, metalwork, leather work and car maintenance for training projects, mainly in East Africa.
Tools With A Mission is a Christian charity based in Ipswich which sends tools to training projects in Europe and Africa.

EU Directives

Two EU Directives, due to come into force in 2005 and 2006, seek to ensure that old electric and electronic products are not simply thrown away, but are recycled and reused.(5) It is estimated that there will be 23,000 tonnes of waste electric tools in 2004.(4)

Currently, most devices end up in municipal waste and are then landfilled or incinerated. Due to their hazardous contents, their landfilling and incineration sets free pollutants that contaminate air, water and soil and can have adverse health effects.(5) The two Directives require producers to design and produce electric and electronic products in a way that facilitates their dismantling, reuse and recycling and to cover all related cost, including collection costs.(5)

Take it back

The Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE Directive) requires EU Member States to set up collection systems for electronic equipment by August 2005 (August 2007 for the new Member States). When these systems are in place, consumers will be able to take these products back to shops and collection points free of charge. Member States will also have to collect at least 4 kg of this waste from households per inhabitant and year. There are also reuse and recycling targets for different products. Collection and recycling targets need to have been met by the end of 2006.(5)

Toxics out

The RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) Directive restricts the use of mercury, lead, cadmium and hexavalent chromium and brominated flame retardants (PBB and PBDE) in new equipment from 1 July 2006.(3) Lead has been proven to have effects on cognitive systems, particularly in children. Cadmium affects the functioning of kidneys.(5)

Compliance to the RoHS Directive will be based on a system of self- declarations. As the enforcement authority, the DTI will conduct market surveillance to detect non-compliant products. Producers must demonstrate compliance by providing the Secretary of State with evidence upon request. But there is no prescribed method to demonstrate compliance. The defence of "due diligence" is available where a firm can show that it took all reasonable steps, such as obtaining declarations from its suppliers, to avoid committing an offence.(3)

The two Directives were meant to have become law in member states by August 2004, but by that date, only Greece had complied.(5)

References

1 Labour Research, November 2002
2 Label Letter, March 2002
3 ENDS Report 355, August 2004
4 ENDS Report 353, June 2004
5 European Commission press release: ?Electronic waste: two important Directives due to be implemented in EU Member States', 13th August 2004
6 The Guardian, 9th September, 'The Good Life' by Leo Hickman