Recently, there have been signs of increased ROHS enforcement activity across the European Union.

In particular, and maybe not surprising, the Scandinavian ROHS authorities have been busy. Their investigations included visits to manufacturers, importers, and retailers across Denmark, Sweden, and Finland and resulted in 22 cases of non-compliance, one of which led to a prosecution.

Three cases of non-compliance were in Sweden from 60 products analyzed, six in Denmark from 29, and 13 in Finland from 63 investigated. The main causes for non-compliance included lead in plastic and lead in solder.

The prosecution involved a Swedish importer bringing in non-branded glue guns from China that contained lead in the plug casing above permitted concentration values. Authorities focused on short lifecycle products and small household appliances, as well as acting on “tips” via their hotline.

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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, including China ROHS), REACH, EuP, and WEEE directives. For more on Gary, click here.