Directive Decoder

The European Commission has begun its work on the RoHS impact study being carried out on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive (2011/65/EU)  in electrical and electronic equipment.

As part of this review the product scope is expected to be widened, including new product categories that were previously excluded. Examples would include:

Category 7-toys leisure and sports equipment now includes "toys with minor electrical function" such as talking teddy bears.

Category 11 (new) -other electrical and electronic equipment includes "clothes with electrical function" including heated clothing and lifejackets.

Category 4-consumer equipment now includes "furniture with an electrical function" such as reclining beds and chairs.

Category 1- large household appliances now includes gas hobs, ovens and heaters as well as grills, water heaters and a wood or oil burning aga.

The study also includes analysis around RoHS concentration limits as concerns have been raised that they are too restrictive especially when applied to coatings and very small components. This could have a significant effect on industry, in particular manufacturers.

The consultation is on-going.

Directive Decoder

The European Chemicals Agency ECHA has stated that the target, set by the European Commission, of having 136 Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) on the Candidate List by the end of 2012 is likely to be missed.

Currently there are 73 substances on the list but only 13 proposals expected to go forward for consultation around the end of February.

ECHA expects the number to be nearer the 100 mark by the end of the year.

Farnell has collected REACH information on around half a million products and found that approximately 0.5% of them contained an SVHC.

Directive Decoder

For an expert webinar check out "Export Controls within the EU" which is live on 6th March at 2PM.

Subject expert Trevor Wood looks at reasons behind having export controls, who makes the decisions behind the controls, which items are controlled and how, as well as other issues.

For simple registration follow the link:

Free Export Controls within the EU webinar

Directive Decoder

There has been some debate recently regarding what the long awaited China RoHS legislation will look like and how it will impact on European companies exporting their products into the region.

The latest step saw the Implementation Rules of Voluntary Certification on the Pollution Control of Electronic Information Products which was adopted on 25 August and entered into force on 1 November 2011.

Also adopted on 25 August 2011 was the circular on the list of Electronic Information Products requiring Voluntary Certification (first batch) and any associated exemptions.

Other documents published recently refer to testing methods and threshold limits.

The various documents are still only officially published in Chinese with no other language generally available.

Continue reading "China RoHS Voluntary Certication" »

If the REACH Regulations can help save lives as well as protect the environment then I am sure we would all endorse it wholeheartedly.

However, there is no doubt that REACH is a significant burden on industry. I can clearly remember an Official addressing a meeting of industry delegates and saying that REACH was "never meant to be a paper chase".

Well it's too late, despite the number of third party organisations offering to provide data on "thousands" of products.

Farnell has collected obligatory REACH information and, importantly, gathered safety data for its automated supply process, on around 440,000 products since the latest batch of SVHCs was published by ECHA in June. However, only around 1750 of them contain an SVHC.....around 0.4% of the total.

80% of these SVHCs were DEHP, often found in cable and a plasticiser in PVC. While considered low toxicity, DEHP can be detected in water, soil and food and is considered a widespread environmental contaminant.

However, there is little evidence to suggest there is a risk to human health although DEHP is no longer permitted in children's toys.

Directive Decoder

On 19 December the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) based in Finland added a further 20 Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) to the Candidate List for authorisation taking the total to 73......see details below:

http://bit.ly/yWUR4V

Directive Decoder

A new task force, including former police detectives, will support the Environment Agency in its fight to close illegal waste sites.

Backed by £5M of funding over two years the new Crime Agency will employ 90 new members of staff according to the ENDS Report.

According to the Agency there are 594 illegal waste sites in England and Wales - 215 in the South East, 99 in Yorkshire and the North East and 83 in the North West. The remainder are in East Anglia, the Midlands, the South West and Wales.

The new task force will work with councils, police, HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions to bring criminals to justice.

More power to their elbow I say!

Directive Decoder

The European Commission has awarded a contract to BIO Intelligence Service, supported by ERA Technology to carry out an impact assessment on the RoHS Recast 2011/65/EU.

The study will include scope, category 11 products, definitions (such as large-scale fixed installations and homogeneous material) as well a review of costs and benefits.

For a comprehensive summary see below:

RoHS2 study

Directive Decoder

20 new Substances of Very High Concern will be added to the REACH Candidate List taking the total to 73.

The EC has a target of 136 by the end of 2012.

Directive Decoder

Article 2.2 of the RoHS2 Recast Directive states:

Without prejudice to Article 4(3) and 4(4), Member States shall provide that EEE that was outside the scope of Directive 2002/95/EC, but which would not comply with this Directive, may nevertheless continue to be made available on the market until 22 July 2019.

So, one for the diary, the entire supply chain should be cleansed of non compliant (according to 2011/65/EU) product by 22 July 2019.

Directive Decoder

Directive 2011/65/EU was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 1 July 2011 and became law on 22 July 2011.

All 27 Member States must bring into effect by 2 January 2013

The Directive will apply to all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) but split as follows:

§         Applies to the original 8 categories of the RoHS directive with medical devices and monitoring and control instruments phased in from 22 July 2014, in-vitro diagnostic medical devices from 22 July 2016 and industrial monitoring and control from 22 July 2017

§         A new category 11 to cover all EEE phased in by 22 July 2019, unless excluded. Exclusions would include such as military equipment, equipment designed to be sent into space, equipment designed and installed as part of other equipment not within scope, large-scale stationary industrial tools, large-scale fixed installations, means of transport, non-road mobile machinery for professional use, active implantable medical devices, photovoltaic panels and R&D equipment only available on a business-to-business basis

Continue reading "30 second guide to RoHS2" »

China RoHS "2" edges a little nearer and will be similar to the EU

RoHS Recast.

China RoHS2 will move away from the previous Electronic Information Products format and cover Electrical and Electronic Products (EEP) with the same definition of scope as EU RoHS (equipment that works with a voltage range not exceeding 1500Vdc and 1000Vac).

On 16 July the Standard Product Catalogue for the Pollution Control of EEPs was published.

Continue reading "China RoHS2 on the radar" »

The European Parliament's Environment Committee voted by 52 votes to 1, with 5 abstentions on its second reading recommendation on the

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive that aims to make existing rules even tougher.

However, the crystal ball suggests that the second reading is unlikely to receive widespread approval and, as with the RoHS Recast, a series of trialogue meetings involving the European Parliament (EP), European Commission (EC) and Council of Ministers will have to thrash out a compromise.

Continue reading "WEEE Recast will require trialogue compromise" »

The US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) held a public roundtable meeting on October 18 to allow affected parties to exchange views and provide input before they finalise their conflict minerals rule.

Representatives from the investment community, industry, consulting and NGOs participated. Major industry participants included AMD, Boeing, Ernst & Young, Kraft Foods and TE Connectivity.

Summary of conflict mineral roundtable

Directive Decoder

As we continue to report, the RoHS Recast Directive 2011/65/EU requires a Declaration of Conformity, and a CE mark to be affixed on the products for all finished products in scope of the RoHS Recast and placed on the market after 2 January 2013.

The CE mark on a product means that the product conforms to all CE marking directives that apply to it but is does not specifically identify that a product is compliant with the Recast.

The CE mark indicates that the manufacturer of the product declares that the product was compliant with all CE marking directives that applied to the product at the time it was first placed on the market.

Directive Decoder

In March 2007 the labelling requirements for phase one were the talk of industry.

Phase two, around restrictions, was expected at the end of that year. Some 4 years later we are still waiting but, at long last, there appears to be progress with the publication of the list of  products requiring voluntary RoHS certification.

These include electronic information products, peripherals, parts and components and electronic materials.

China RoHS

Directive Decoder

The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) is the organisation that will issue the final Conflict Minerals rule. The SEC has decided to hold a public round table meeting on October 18 with concerned parties to further discuss the proposed rule before taking action.

The Conflict Minerals rule is proving contentious and opponents are threatening lawsuits if their concerns are not addressed. The SEC feels a round table with concerned parties at this time is appropriate and will help them in finalizing their rule. 

 I will review the round table and blog on what transpires but don't you just start to get a feeling about all of this!?

Conflict Minerals Summary

Directive Decoder

The RoHS Recast Directive 2011/65/EU includes new obligations around CE marking.

In a nutshell a Declaration-of-Conformity (DoC) is required for products in scope. Generally that would refer to finished equipment and the format of the DoC is outlined in Annex 6 of the Directive.

Components, as per the original RoHS directive, are not in scope but clearly need to be compliant when used in finished goods.

Industry should continue to collect a certificate-of-compliance covering components as before.

Continue reading "RoHS CE - what certificate when?" »