What is RoHS certification?

      RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances, RoHS, also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, originated in the European Union and restricts the use of certain hazardous materials (known as EEE) in electrical and electronic products. After July 1, 2006, all applicable products on the EU market must be RoHS compliant.

What are the restricted materials under RoHS?

      Substances prohibited by RoHS are lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (CrVI), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and four different phthalates ( DEHP, BBP, BBP), DIBP).

Why is RoHS compliance important?

Restricted materials are harmful to the environment and pollute landfills, and are hazardous in terms of occupational exposure during manufacturing and recycling.

How to test products for RoHS compliance?

    Portable RoHS analyzers, also known as X-ray fluorescence or XRF metal analyzers, are used to screen and verify restricted metals, with the advent of RoHS 3 and the four phthalates, different tests are required to determine these The content of compounds that were extracted with the solvent.

Which companies are affected by the RoHS Directive?

      Any business that sells or distributes applicable EEE products, subassemblies, assemblies or cables directly to EU countries, or to resellers, distributors or integrators, will be affected if they use any of the restricted materials. This no longer applies to EU countries as RoHS-like regulations have been extended to many other countries.

RoHS also applies to the metal industry for any metal plating, anodizing, chromating or other surface treatment on EEE assemblies, heat sinks or connectors.

What is RoHS 2 and how is it different from the original RoHS?

      The European Commission issued the RoHS 2 or Recast RoHS 2 Directive 2011/65/EU in July 2011, the scope of the original RoHS was expanded to cover all electrical/electronic equipment, cables and spare parts, in compliance with the 22 July 2019 or earlier requirements, depending on the product category.

      RoHS 2 is also a CE marking directive and now requires CE marking of RoHS compliant products, therefore, all electrical/electronic product manufacturers must be RoHS 2 compliant in order to apply CE marking to their products. Since CE marking now includes RoHS compliance, the original green RoHS label with a check mark is no longer required or used.

      Any product within the scope of RoHS 1 requirements should not contain any of the 6 restricted substances, and companies (manufacturers, importers or distributors) placing products on the EU market should keep records to show compliance. RoHS 2 requires everyone in the supply chain to conduct additional compliance records. Additional compliance record keeping (must be kept for 10 years) can include conformity assessment, CE marking, compliance maintenance throughout production and self-reporting of non-compliance.

      The proposed changes to the RoHS Directive in RoHS2 (2011/65/EU) are relatively minor. No other substances have been added to the six currently restricted substances. RoHS for RoHS Category 8 (Medical Devices) and 9 (Control and Monitoring Instruments) products has also been added. RoHS 2 came into effect on January 2, 2013.

What is RoHS 3 and how is it different from RoHS 2?

      Adds 6 additional restricted substances (phthalates) to the original list of 6 according to RoHS 3 or Directive 2015/863 referenced by REACH regulation, it also adds 11 categories of products, RoHS3 in July 2019 Effective on the 22nd.

What is RoHS 5/6?

      RoHS 5/6 refers to compliance for 5 of the 6 restricted substances (not lead (Pb) compliant), lead in very specific applications for categories 8 and 9 can also be in Annex III exempt for a few years. For more information, see RoHS Annex III Lead Exemptions.

Will there be "RoHS 4"...are there other substances that will be restricted in the future?

      Possibly, there is a discussion of possible modification and inclusion of seven new substances (known as RoHS Package 15), the other seven substances assessed are: Beryllium, Cobalt (dichlorides and sulfates), Antimony Trioxide, Phosphate Indium, medium chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), nickel (sulfates and sulfamate) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBP-A).

How are RoHS and REACH related?

      REACH is a universal regulation and representation - [Registration, ē valuation, an uthorization, restricted chapter emicals, and addresses the production and use of chemicals and their potential impacts on human health and the environment. REACH is monitored by ECHA and currently handles 197 Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). While RoHS restricts substances present in electrical/electronic equipment (wiring, assemblies, circuit boards, displays, sub-assemblies, cables), REACH controls all chemicals that may be used to manufacture products including enclosures, brackets, coatings, paints, solvents and chemicals used in the manufacturing process.

      It is worth noting that all RoHS restricted substances are also on the REACH restricted list, substances on the list have been determined to be carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic to reproduction, bioaccumulative and toxic, or as endocrine disruptors, see REACH restricted substances list.

How are RoHS and WEEE related?

      WEEE is an acronym for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, WEEE, also known as Directive 2002/96/EC, regulates the treatment, recovery and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. After August 13, 2006, all applicable products on the EU market must comply with the WEEE standard and carry the "Wheelie Bin" label. WEEE compliance aims to encourage electronic products designed with environmentally safe recycling and recycling in mind. RoHS compliance aligns with WEEE by reducing the amount of hazardous chemicals used in electronics manufacturing.

On the other hand, RoHS regulates hazardous substances used in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), while WEEE regulates the disposal of the same equipment. See the EU WEEE site for details.

How are RoHS and ELV Directives related?

      The EU End of Production Vehicle (ELV) Directive covers automobiles, while the RoHS Directive covers a wide range of electrical and electronic products across many industries, the ELV Directive applies to cables, wires and related components used in transport vehicles. It came into effect on July 1, 2003 and restricts the use of lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium (also subject to RoHS).

      Generally, XLS (cross-linked polyethylene) insulated automotive wires such as SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) types SXL, GXL and TXL comply with this directive. However, PVC insulated automotive wire types such as GPT, TWP, SGT, and SGX may contain lead and therefore may not meet the requirements unless specifically required by the purchase specification.

How does RoHS relate to conflict minerals (T3&G)?

     Primarily in the form of a Full Material Declaration (FMD), a compliance declaration will usually list RoHS, Reach and Conflict Minerals (T3 and G) together. Conflict minerals are tantalum, tungsten, tin and gold - known as 3TG minerals if they come from the Republic of Congo (DRC). Under the Dodd-Frank Act, all publicly traded companies must report the source of conflict minerals to the SEC.

Does RoHS apply to batteries?

      No, all batteries, regardless of their type or application, are protected by the EU Battery Directive (2006/66/EC and amendment 2013/56/EU). The Battery Directive limits the use of lead to 0.004%, mercury to 0.0005%, and cadmium to 0.002% (cadmium is removed from medical devices/equipment and alarm/emergency systems).

Note: Batteries are included/covered according to China RoHS.

Does RoHS apply to RFID tags?

      Yes, both passive and active RFID are covered in RoHS. In the case of packaging, it belongs to category 3. If the RFID is permanently attached to the device or equipment, it belongs to the category of the parent device.

How are RoHS and HIPAA related?

      The healthcare industry is regulated by HIPAA and has its own compliance requirements. If you manufacture EEPs for the medical industry, you will also need to be HIPAA certified according to safety rules. This applies not only to medical equipment, but also to office equipment, including scanners, printers, hard drives, hardware security modules (HSMs), smart card readers, networking equipment, shredders, media degaussers, and hard drive "destroyers" Retired bent, broken and deformed hard drives. See HIPAA 101 for more information.

What is the relationship between RoHS and the big ma industry?

      Just indirectly, while e-cigarettes, large mavape pens, and other electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products are manufactured to be RoHS compliant, the associated consumable vape carts (vaporizer cartridges) have been found to contain relatively high levels of lead (Pb), a restricted substance. The same is true for other electronic devices that heat inhalable substances, such as for electronic diffusers and nebulizers. In all of these products, testing laboratories began to find traces of other heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, barium, silver, selenium, iron, manganese, nickel and zinc.

How is RoHS compliance implemented and what are the penalties?

      By national law enforcement agencies such as NMO (National Metrology Office). Penalties and fines for non-compliance can vary widely between EU countries, but include fines and imprisonment in some member states.