EU Directive on Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances (RoHS)

Target

Ban of 6 materials in electronic devices

• Lead
• Mercury
• Cadmium
• Hexavalent chromium
• Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)

Status

• Directive 2002/95/EC of 27. January 2003 affects your technology
• Commission Decision 2004/249/EC of 11. March 2004
• Implementation in national law 13. August 2004
• Regulations for RoHS to be made 2005

Product groups

• Large and small household appliances
• IT and telecommunications equipment
• Consumer and lighting equipment
• Automatic dispensers
• Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)
• Toys, leisure and sports equipment



• Exempted

• Medical devices
• Monitoring and control instruments

Requirements

From 1 July 2006, new electrical and electronic equipment put on the market has to comply with material bans. Currently the "Maximum concentration definition" is under discussion. Proposed wording:

• Maximum concentration definition:
• 0.1% by weight in homogenous materials for lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE),
• Up to 0.01% by weight in specific materials for cadmium
• Homogeneous material:
• Can not be mechanically disjointed into different materials
• Throughout of uniform composition

Notice also the exemptions under discussion (see stakeholder consultation etc. on EU webpage). http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/waste/weee_index.htm

Eco-Design Relevancy

The RoHS directive has an indirect influence on the environmental impact of electronics. Hazardous materials in electronic products have to be minimized or replaced by environmental compliant products. A solution avoiding hazardous substances through eco-design is desirable.

EU Links

• RoHS Directive
• Maximum concentration values
• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
• Eco-design