The OEKO Institut has confirmed that there are currently no alternatives on the market that match the color performance and energy-efficiency of solutions based on cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots (QDs). The extensive report can be found on the European Commission’s RoHS Exemptions website. The Commission’s consultant thus recommends the renewal of the RoHS exemption allowing the use of CdSe QDs in displays for a period of three years.

QD Vision is pleased with Oeko’s recommendation in favor of the renewal of the RoHS exemption which will bring tangible benefits to the European consumers and environment:

• Better Color Performance: CdSe QDs allow consumers to enjoy over almost 50% more color than most of today’s televisions and monitors. This will enable innovation in several fields, including entertainment, medical diagnostics and e-commerce. Today’s indium phosphide QD-based solutions fall measurably short of this performance.
• Improved Energy Efficiency: Displays based on CdSe QDs consume a minimum of 20% less energy than any other wide color gamut technology available today, translating to a potential annual reduction of 7 Million tonnes of CO₂ and a net annual saving of 3 Billion Euros for European consumers. These are measurable results that will contribute to the key EU objectives on energy efficiency.
• Enhanced Environmental Friendliness: As fossil fuel-powered electrical production plants represent a major contributor to the cadmium pollution in the EU, the energy savings achieved by using CdSe QD displays would in fact result in a net reduction in free cadmium in the environment. Conversely, mandating the use of alternatives such as InP would actually result in an increase in free cadmium in the environment, a result that Chemsec referred to as “a regrettable substitution.”

In addition to these important observations, CdSe QD solutions can be significantly more affordable because of their capacity to be packaged much closer to the LED light source – something InP QD solutions cannot tolerate. As a result, all the aforementioned benefits will be available to the average European consumer, multiplying the positive effects for business, environment and society until an equally-performing alternative becomes commercially available.

The report from OEKO fully responds to the Parliament’s request to consider all legitimate display technology alternatives available on the market today. The only other QDs currently available on the market fail to meet the technical equivalence test as required by the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive.