So called China REACH - the "Measures on Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances" was adopted in January 2009 and will enter into force on 15 October 2010.
The adopted regulation contains 52 articles compared to only 41 in the draft released in May 2009.
The regulations include:
The European Commission (EC) has circulated its proposals for the capacity marking of rechargeable, or secondary, portable batteries. Currently there are no proposals for capacity labelling of primary batteries and the commission has not indicated when proposals are likely to be published for these.
The EC was originally due to publish proposals in March 2009 to enter into force during September, twelve months on from the implementation of the new battery directive (2006/66/EC) but has failed to meet the deadline.
The proposals are to use IEC/EN standards for calculating capacity.
Portable batteries would be marked by the abbreviations mAh (milliampere hours) or Ah (amp hours) and the regulations will also provide details of the label size and location etc.
A study published by the European Commission recommends the creation of a dedicated European body to oversee the implementation and enforcement of European Union waste law.
This forms part of a series of steps being taken by the EC to improve waste management and ensure it meets the requirements set by EU legislation to protect human health and the environment.
The Council of Ministers has been discussing the 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 scope. 4 Member States, out of 27, still prefer scope to comprise of 10 categories rather than the open scope with category 11 covering "all EEE not in categories 1 to 10".
9 States prefer fixed installations to be excluded, 16 want them included while others seek a clearer definition.
The Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restiction of use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Published 14 December.
Directive Decoder
BIS, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills has published updated guidance notes on the RoHS Directive.
This useful reference source includes guidance on RoHS law, entry into force, requirements, enforcement, scope, exemptions, definitions, maximum concentration values, compliance, enforcement as well as offences and penalties.
See below to access the file:
Continue reading "BIS publishes updated RoHS Guidance Notes" »
The dearth of information on China RoHS is probably one reason why this column receives so many "hits" when snippets of information become available.
As previously reported, the first draft China RoHS catalogue was published on 9th October 2009 with a one month consultation period.
So where are we at now, and what products might be included in the second catalogue?
The Environment Agency is urging more small businesses that make, import or sell batteries and battery-operated equipment from torches to toys to ensure they comply with new regulations aimed at reducing the environmental impact of batteries.
By now any business who placed batteries for the first time on the
Both actions are new responsibilities under the Waste Batteries & Accumulators Regulations that came into force in 2009. The regulations set out how all types of waste batteries and re-chargeable batteries are collected, treated and recycled in the
On the 9th October 2009 the Chinese Government published the first draft catalogue of Electronic Information Products that will be subject to China RoHS substance restrictions.
The draft was published for consultation which ended a month later with the restriction coming into force ten months after the adoption of the legislation, unless changes were made.
Since then it has gone quiet!
Recently a lawyer suggested that it was not unusual for Chinese legislation to be published and come into force with no announcements, and it can take several months to hear about it.
So, what progress has been made on the first draft which generally covers telephones and printers?
Continue reading "China RoHS - all gone quiet, or has it?" »
Several people have asked me recently about the status on RoHS exemptions.
You may remember that on 23 March 2009 the Okö Institute and Fraunhofer IZM, private consultants hired by the European Commission (EC), released a report on their evaluation and assessment of existing and new requests for exemptions under the RoHS Directive.
They reviewed twenty nine exemptions and recommended that seven should not be continued.
They also evaluated five requests for new exemptions and they proposed the addition of one, declined one and were unable to make recommendations on the other three.
The consultants were also tasked with providing clearer and unambiguous wording on existing exemptions.
So, almost a year on, where are we now?
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has added 14 chemical substances to the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC).
Discussions on whether the substances need to be subject to authorisation will be taken later.
Companies may have legal obligations resulting from the inclusion of substances on the List. These obligations can apply to the listed substances on their own as well as in mixtures and in articles.
Continue reading "ECHA add 14 new SVHCs to Candidate List" »
As I previously reported the first draft China RoHS "Catalogue" was published on the 9th of October with a consultation period of one month.
The restrictions will come into force ten months after the adoption of the legislation, unless changes are made.
So what has happened in the meantime?
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Directive Decoder
For a prompt, free of charge, reply to your legislative questions:
glegislation@premierfarnell.com
Directive Decoder
A common question is around how batteries are recycled.
There are a number of recycling processes that aim at recovering a variety of materials.
Lead can be recovered by separating the different materials that make up the battery or they can be processed as a whole through a furnace with the metals recovered at the end of the process.
Likewise nickel-cadmium batteries can be processed through a similar thermal technique which recovers iron-nickel and cadmium (cadmium is now restricted under the battery regulations although exemptions do apply)
The proposed RoHS recast will be debated long into 2010 and probably early2011.
There are three main players who need to agree on a final draft.
The European Commission who made the original proposals, the Council of Ministers supported by the Environment Council Working Group and the European Parliament led by the environment committee.
Currently there are differing views around scope, LSIT, fixed installations, additional substance restrictions, CE compliance and exemptions.
The outcome of these discussions could have a significant impact on the electronics industry.
See attached for a summary of the current position.
Directive Decoder
Three supermarket giants have signed up to battery compliance schemes to meet both their producer and retail obligations on portable batteries.
Tesco, ASDA and Morrison's have joined the BatteryBack scheme which is jointly run by
Continue reading "Retailers offer battery collection points" »
Looking back on 2009 it was, without doubt, the biggest year of change since RoHS in 2006 with real momentum building and industry struggling to keep pace with the numerous environmental proposals.
While the year may have ended with concerns around the potential levels of antimony on the Christmas toy Mr Squiggle Go Go Hamster's nose and hair there had been more debate around toxic substances throughout the year.
The Design Engineer has had a lot to consider with proposals that would lead to many more products falling within scope, potentially more substance restrictions, a change in testing methodology and even a new geography with the first draft, some two years late, of the China RoHS - restriction of hazardous substances - "Catalogue".
If ever there was any doubt then 2009 was the year when industry realised that legislation would have a significant impact for many years to come. Some would say, it would engulf the electronics industry and the days of simply buying and selling products were gone forever, with safety and compliance information becoming a significant obligation.
Continue reading "2009 - legislative review and looking forward" »
Thought for the day:
"We should push for further development of and rapid agreement on existing EU energy efficiency proposals over the next 5 years,
including improvements to the energy and environmental performance of products and buildings. The EU needs to provide its industry with clear, long term targets that take account of product development cycles and industry's ability to invest in the required technology"
Endorsed by Peter Mandelson
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
RoHS recast unlikely to be agreed in 2010 according to BIS
Directive Decoder
Gary Nevison, Head of Legislation at Premier Farnell, is the company spokesperson and customer interface on legislation that affects the electronics industry, such as the RoHS (all variations around the world, including China and Korean RoHS) REACH, EuP, WEEE and Battery Directives.
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