ROHS 'the sequel' edges closer

Peering into the crystal ball, there are still several possibilities around the scope of the ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive in the European Union (EU) or, to be politically correct, the European Economic Area.

An announcement regarding changes to ROHS, originally expected in September, is now likely during November or December. So let’s take a step back and consider what is happening.

Article 6 requires that the directive is reviewed and the European Commission (EC) invited Oko Institute, based in Germany, to review a whole raft of potential restricted substances and, as part of a separate study, look into the on-going validity of the current exemptions.

Previously, UK organization ERA Technology had been asked to look at the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive’s categories 8 (focused on medical equipment) and 9 (focused on monitoring and control instruments) with the remit to submit recommendations around adding these to the scope of the ROHS directive and, as a result, aligning with all 10 WEEE categories. Originally, they had been omitted due to reliability concerns around lead-free solder.

Finally, as part of the review, the EC was hoping to issue some clarity around grey area definitions, such as fixed installations, large scale stationary  industrial tools and spare parts.

The crystal ball is still cloudy, but what we expect to be announced following these exhaustive reviews that were complemented by stakeholder consultations is that categories 8 and 9 will be included within scope, supported by a raft of exemptions. Implementation, however, if approved, is not expected before 2012.

A list of 46 potentially new restricted substances was reduced to 8, plus organ halogens, and some of these could be included. These are likely to include several flame retardants and plasticizers, which are extensively used in plastics.

Finally, a few exemptions could be withdrawn if deemed no longer valid. These are likely to be fairly specific ones, without widespread impact, but several others may be re-worded to make them more application specific.

Will these changes to ROHS affect you? Share your thoughts below.

About the author
As director of legislation and environmental affairs, Gary Nevison is Newark’s and Farnell’s spokesperson and customer interface on legislation that affects the electronics industry, such as the ROHS (all variations around the world), REACH, EuP, and WEEE directives. For more on Gary, click here.