MIIT proposes China ROHS catalog
The restrictions are expected to come into force 10 months after the adoption of the legislation.
By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- EDN, November 12, 2009
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in October issued the proposed Key Administrative Catalog for the Pollution Control of Electronic Information Products (Batch 1). More widely known as China ROHS (restriction of hazardous substances), the directive focuses on the same six substances as EU (European Union) ROHS: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB (polybrominated biphenyl), and PBDE (polybrominated-diphenyl ether). The catalog will apply to China ROHS Phase 2 restriction requirements. The restrictions are expected to come into force 10 months after the adoption of the legislation.
The catalog covers phones and printers, and MIIT will likely periodically update the list of products. Similar to EU ROHS restrictions, the catalog will allow some exemptions. The catalog requires testing, which manufacturers must conduct at specified labs in China. The catalog introduction follows China ROHS Phase 1 implementation in 2007, which required manufacturers to post labeling and recycling information on as many as 1800 electronic-information products.
