Although the automotive industry is not directly affected by this directive, many companies also supply the non-automotive sector. Many substances that are restricted by RoHS already fall under other legal regulations, such as Annex II of the ELV (End-of-Life Vehicles Directive) or REACH. This means that there is no industry that is not affected by the substance restrictions. There are differences in handling exceptions and reporting.

What does RoHS mean?

RoHS is an EU directive and the abbreviation for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. This directive serves to restrict the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The aim is to reduce the content of harmful substances and thus protect people and the environment as well as improve recycling. The first RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC has been revised several times and RoHS Directive 2017/2102/EU has been in force since 2018. Here you can find the complete version with all annexes.

The following 10 substances are restricted by RoHS:

The maximum permissible concentration in homogeneous materials in weight percent is given in brackets.

Annex II lists the substances subject to restrictions as last amended on 31 March 2015 (delegated Directive 2015/863/EU). The amendments are valid from 22 July 2019, for medical devices there is an extended deadline until 2021. Annex III gives a detailed overview of the exemptions and when they expire.

In 2011, CE marking and conformity assessment were introduced. This means that manufacturers must issue an EU declaration of conformity, affix a CE marking to the equipment, ensure permanent conformity and fulfil certain documentation and information obligations.

Countries outside the EU have now also introduced comparable regulations, such as Switzerland and Liechtenstein (Chemicals Risk Reduction Regulation), China (so-called China-RoHS) and South Korea (so-called Korea-RoHS).

Who is concerned?

According to Annex I, the RoHS Directive applies to all companies that manufacture the following equipment or parts thereof:

1. large household appliances
2. small household appliances
3. IT and telecommunications equipment
4. consumer electronics devices
5. lighting fixtures
6. electrical and electronic tools
7. toys and sports and leisure equipment
8. medical equipment
9. monitoring and control instruments including monitoring and control instruments in industry
10. automatic dispensers
11. other electrical and electronic equipment which does not fall into any of the categories already mentioned

Help with implementation

We would be pleased to support you with our expertise and offer you individual RoHS consulting. We will answer all your questions about the directive and help you to optimize your internal processes, if necessary, and support you in developing the appropriate documentation. We offer training courses, both public and exclusive to your company.