What does ROHS mean
RoHS is a mandatory standard established by EU legislation, and its full name is the Directive on Restricting the Use of Certain Hazardous Components in Electronic and Electrical Equipment. The original directive 2002/95/EC was implemented on July 1, 2006, covering eight categories of electronic and electrical equipment (EEEs) with direct current of 1500V and alternating current of 1000V or less. The directive stipulates that the content of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in newly launched EEEs and homogeneous materials shall not exceed 1000ppm, respectively, The content of cadmium (Cd) shall not exceed 100ppm.
RoHS 2.0 (2011/65/EU) came into effect on July 21, 2011 and was officially implemented on January 3, 2013 (abolished on the same day as 2002/95/EC)
Important Changes in RoHS2.0
Incorporating CE marking requirements and becoming one of the EU CE marking directives, in addition to the aforementioned electronic and electrical products that must comply with (LVD), electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), energy related products (ErP), and RoHS2.0 directive requirements in order to affix the CE mark and issue a declaration of conformity, RoHS2.0 also requires manufacturers to provide supporting technical documents and retain them for ten years.
Expanding the scope of controlled products, adding Class 8 medical equipment and Class 9 monitoring equipment, and adding Class 11 other electronic and electrical equipment. In order to provide sufficient time for manufacturers newly included in ROHS 2.0 controlled products to comply with the requirements of the directive, ROHS 2.0 has set a control transition period for the relevant products.
Prioritize the selection of four toxic and harmful substances (HBCDD, DEHP, DBP, and BBP) as candidates for restricted substances, which may be included in control in the future.
HBCDD hexabromocyclododecane 1000ppm
DEHP phthalate (2-ethylhexyl) ester 1000ppm
DBP Dibutyl Phthalate 1000ppm
BBP butylbenzyl phthalate 1000ppm
The new version of the EU RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU was released on July 1, 2011. At present, it still maintains the original six items (lead Pb, cadmium Cd, mercury Hg, hexavalent chromium CrVI, polybrominated biphenyl PBB, polybrominated biphenyl ether PBDE); The four items mentioned in the industry before (HBCDD, DEHP, DBP, and BBP) were not added, but were prioritized for evaluation.
As a directive that Chinese electronic and electrical product manufacturing enterprises are very familiar with, its implementation process can be described as a twists and turns. Due to significant disagreements among various parties during the revision process, this revision proposal, which was originally intended to be introduced in 2009, has been delayed repeatedly. Especially regarding whether to expand the scope of products and restricted substances, there has been intense debate within the EU, including the Commission, European Parliament, Council, industry, NGOs, and others.
The main differences between 2011/65/EU and the original RoHS directive are:
1. Expanded product range: medical equipment and monitoring equipment were included in the control scope, and the eleventh category of products that were not included in the previous ten major electronic and electrical equipment were also added. All electronic and electrical products are covered within the scope of the directive (including cables and spare parts), and a certain transition period is specified for Class 8 medical devices and Class 9 monitoring and control instruments (including industrial monitoring instruments). In addition, 20 exemptions are provided for these two types of products (listed in Annex IV);
Expanded application schedule for electronic and electrical product regulations:
On July 22, 2014, medical equipment and monitoring equipment
- July 22, 2016, in vitro diagnostic medical equipment
- Industrial monitoring equipment on July 22, 2017
Electronic and electrical equipment not listed on July 22, 2019 and within the scope of previous RoHS directives
2. The scope of controlled substances has not been expanded, and the original limit requirements for the six substances have been maintained. However, it is proposed that in the future review process, priority should be given to substances including DEHP, in order to pave the way for the expansion of the scope of controlled substances in the future;
3. Provide clearer definitions for manufacturers, importers, and distributors, and further standardize their responsibilities. In addition, manufacturers and importers must continue to register EEE products that do not meet the requirements of the directive and are recalled, and pass on relevant information to distributors. Authorized representatives can be appointed to replace manufacturers outside the European Union in fulfilling their responsibilities related to CE labeling and RoHS directives.
4. It is stipulated that products must be affixed with the CE mark and related matters: Before EEE products are placed on the market, manufacturers/importers/distributors must ensure that the relevant evaluation has been conducted in accordance with the compliance evaluation procedure of Module A in Annex II of 768/2008/EC, and that the CE mark must be affixed to the final product. Its relevant technical documents and EU declaration of conformity must be retained for at least 10 years.
This directive will come into effect on the 20th day of its publication in OJ, and member states are required to convert it into domestic law before January 2, 2013. The new directive will be officially implemented on January 3, 2013, and the old directive 2002/95/EC will be abolished at the same time.
The release of 2011/65/EU will have a certain impact on China's electronic and electrical product manufacturing enterprises, especially due to the inclusion of medical device products and monitoring and control instrument products in the scope of regulation, so the impact on these two types of manufacturing enterprises will be very significant; In addition, due to the need to affix the CE mark on electronic and electrical products, meeting the requirements of the directive in the industry will also be a huge challenge.
More information：Detailed understanding of ROHS certification