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It’s incredible to realize that many of the household electric and electronic items that we took for granted in the 20th century – such as refrigerators, light bulbs, and electronic children’s toys – contained unacceptably high levels of hazardous substances including lead, mercury, and flame retardants. Occupational exposure was widespread, along with potentially significant harm to the environment when such items ended up in landfills.
While the problem of e-waste shows no signs of abating, many countries have created legislation or issued directives that restrict hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
One such directive is RoHS (Directive 2002/95/EC), or the directive on the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Adopted in February 2003 by the European Union, the directive came into effect on July 1, 2006. The scope of the original directive has been updated with additions to the list of restricted substances and electronic equipment that must comply, referred to as RoHS 2 and RoHS 3.
RoHS is also referred to as the "lead-free directive," although it restricts nine other substances besides lead in the manufacture of electronic and electrical equipment.
RoHS applies to any business selling or distributing electrical and electronic products, sub-assemblies, components or cables to EU countries, or to third parties that in turn sell that businesses’ products to EU countries.
By removing or restricting the amount of hazardous substances in electric and electronic equipment, RoHS protects:
Up to 50 million tons of e-waste is dumped each year in developing countries, exposing workers and the environment to toxic substances such as flame retardants, lead, and mercury.
RoHS restricts the use of:
Seven new substances are currently being considered for future restriction in RoHS 4: Beryllium, Cobalt (dichloride and sulfate), Diantimony trioxide, Indium phosphide, Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (MCCPs), Nickel (sulfate and sulfamate), and Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBP-A).
Select materials are exempt from RoHS restrictions “if it is technically or scientifically impracticable to prohibit the use of certain hazardous substances at present.” This includes applications such as some medical devices, solar panels, and wind turbines. Manufacturers should regularly review the list of exemptions for updates as it is gradually being narrowed by the EU.
Letter of RoHS compliance: Organizations can prove their RoHS compliance by issuing a letter of compliance. Third-party testing services are available to test an organization’s products for the presence of restricted materials, or (if present) to test the level of restricted materials. This is known as a Declaration of Conformity for the product; all parties involved in the supply chain are responsible for checking this document.
Labeling: The RoHS 2 directive means manufacturers must display:
Some manufacturers have chosen to adopt labels such as “RoHS compliant,” or green leaves and checkmarks, but RoHS 2 states that the CE mark is the only permitted indication of RoHS compliance. The CE mark is often accompanied by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) mark, which looks like a garbage bin on wheels with a cross through it. WEEE (2002/96/EC) sets recycling and recovery targets for electrical goods.
Record-keeping: Manufacturers must keep formal documentation, including technical records, to demonstrate conformity, such as test data that follows a testing standard. Regulators can request to see information from this file.
Image Credit: Olivier Le Moal / Shutterstock
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