Critical Links
Gary Nevison, director of legislation and environmental affairs at Newark and Farnell, contributes his views on the electronics supply chain and environmental compliance's most critical topics -- ROHS (all variations around the world), REACH, EUP, WEEE directives, and on whatever else comes up in this ever evolving business channel.
China REACH to take effect in October
China published proposals for its equivalent to the EU REACH regulations in May 2009. This aims to control the manufacture, import and use of chemicals and has similarities with the EU REACH regulations. The original proposals included very few obligations that affected substances in “articles”, as fabricated products are referred to by EU REACH, although it is clear that some of the ...... Read More
Comments (0)No consensus yet on ROHS, WEEE
The Council of Ministers has been discussing the European Commission (EC) proposals for the recast of the ROHS and WEEE directives since March 2009, but areas of disagreement still exist. Documents were recently published that highlight the current opinions of Member States. The key ROHS issues remain around its scope. Four Member States, out of 27, still prefer that the scope comprise 10 categori ...... Read More
Comments (2)Where, oh where, is the China ROHS catalog?
On October 9, 2009 the Chinese Government published the first draft catalog of Electronic Information Products, which will be subject to China ROHS substance restrictions. The draft was published for consultation that ended a month later with the restriction coming into force 10 months after the adoption of the legislation, unless changes were made. Since then, it has gone quiet! Recently a lawyer ...... Read More
Comments (5)No agreement on ROHS … yet
The last 12 months have witnessed several proposals to amend the scope of the EU’s ROHS directive. Proposals were published in December 2008, followed by more in July 2009, driven by Sweden as European Commission presidents. Finally, in November, there was the first draft recast of the directive including a new “category 11” which would cover all EEE (electrical and electronic ...... Read More
Comments (2)New EU Regulatory Framework may include ROHS
The European Union (EU) has adopted three new regulations that aim to modernize the “New Approach” or NRF (New Regulatory Framework) for EU directives. These regulations were adopted in 2008, and the regulation that most affects manufacturers of electrical equipment is 768/2008; “a common framework for the marketing of products.” The other two regulations are 764/2008 a ...... Read More
Comments (4)ROHS to cover all electrical and electronic equipment?
A draft proposal for the recast of the European Union’s ROHS (restriction of hazardous substances) directive has been published by the European Parliament (EP). Among the proposed changes is to include all electrical products. The approach would be to add an 11th product category to the existing 10. The scope of the new category would simply be “other electrical and electronic equipm ...... Read More
Comments (15)China ROHS catalog makes a late appearance
Back in March 2007, Phase 1 of the so called “China ROHS” directive was implemented on time. This declaration period required labeling and information on up to 1,800 electronic information products. Pollution (recycling) symbols were required to indicate the level of toxic substances in a product. Where below permitted levels, a green symbol would typically be used, and an orange sym ...... Read More
Comments (3)New ROHS proposals seek to change scope
Following discussions between EU Member States and the Council of Ministers, new proposals have been put forward by Sweden, which currently owns the EU presidency, to amend the scope of the ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive. Under the proposals the scope will change to encompass all electrical and electronic equipment unless specifically excluded. Currently there are eight produ ...... Read More
Comments (19)EU extends bans on DMF
Dimethyl Fumarate (DMF) has been a big topic in Europe. Back in February 2008 the UK consumer program “Watchdog” reported a story about Chinese manufactured leather sofas, sold by a number of leading high street retailers in the UK that had lead to severe skin reactions due to the use of DMF. The fungicide is contained within a sachet, which is placed inside the sofas in order to pro ...... Read More
Comments (2)Are dev tools covered by ROHS? It's debatable.
The subject of whether or not semiconductor evaluation boards, or development tools as they are often referred to, fall within the scope of the ROHS directive continues to rumble on. Evaluation boards have always been a grey area. The problem is that they do not have one function and are, in reality, a wide variety of different products. It is fairly obvious that some are “Category 3 ȁ ...... Read More
Comments (1)The China REACH surprise
On May 21, 2009, the Ministry of Environment Protection of China launched the closed inter-ministries consultation on the proposed amendments to the Measures on the Environmental Control of New Chemical Substances … China REACH. The most significant changes in the proposed measures are as follows: - A risk management concept for new chemicals in the Chinese chemical control system covering ...... Read More
Comments (12)Could proposed amendment be a US ROHS?
The Environmental Design of Electrical Equipment Act (EDEE, bill HR2420) has recently been put before the US House of Representatives as a proposed amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The scope seems to be more limited than that of EU ROHS (European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive and refers to products that are “directly used to facilitate the transmi ...... Read More
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