Directive Decoder

RoHS scope originally stated that the directive covered electrical and electronic equipment that is dependent on electric currents or

electromagnetic fields in order to work properly.

However, the RoHS recast now refers to "dependent to fulfil at least one intended function".

Therefore, a gas cooker not previously in scope, but with an electric clock, will now fall within the scope of the RoHS recast.

Directive Decoder

The Department of Business Innovation and skills has published the latest version of its RoHS Guidance Notes.

The RoHS recast is likely to be approved in Council next month and published in the Official Journal (OJ) of the European Union shortly afterwards. Member States will then have 18 months to transfer in to national law.

The RoHS recast has attempted to address the hotly debated

subject of development kits and evaluation boards and their

RoHS status.

Article 2 states:

"equipment specifically designed solely for the purposes of research and development only made available on a business to business basis".

The RoHS recast will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union during April 2011 and will be transposed into national law 18 months later.

On 14 March the Council of the European Union agreed on its first reading approach to revised rules concerning the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive.

The RoHS recast is likely to hit the Official Journal (OJ) of the European Union in the next month or so.

Semiconductor evaluation boards (the small PCB types) that are intended for R&D will be out of scope once the recast is transposed into national law some 18 months later.

Things like programmers for mass production will remain in scope.

For a comprehesive report click here

Directive Decoder

On 25 February 2011, the Ministry of the Environment of Korea released the draft Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals, i.e. Korean REACH for public consultation. This act would mean the whole amendment of the current Toxic Chemicals Control Act and introduce many similar regulatory elements from European REACH. 

Amongst others, the following new concepts and requirements would be introduced:  

The Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC), part of REACH, have given their support to the banning of the use of Dimethylfumarate (DMF) in consumer articles and lead and its compounds in jewellery.

Following a number of severe skin reactions a temporary import ban already exists for DMF, but RAC have now concluded that permanent measures are needed as the substance puts consumers "seriously at risk".

In addition the RAC commented that the use of lead in jewellery may "significantly contribute to the exposure of children to lead". However it also implied that if proof can be provided that no lead will be released if items are chewed or sucked, production would still be permitted.

The final decision on the proposed bans will be left to a regulatory committee for the European Commission.

Directive Decoder

The Environment Agency has released figures showing that at least 9.56% of batteries were recycled in the UK in 2010, narrowly missing the unofficial 10% target (comparative to the number of batteries put on the market in 2009). However it has since come to light that the figures from CCR Rebat, one of the UK's six recycling schemes, have not been included in the final percentage due to incorrect data so it is more than likely that the 10% target has been met, if not exceeded.

However whilst 2010's battery recycling figures are a very positive improvement on 2009 (2%), they still remain a long way off the optimistic target set by the EU of 45% recycling by 2015.

Directive Decoder

Substantial changes have been made to directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and Council of 27 January 2003.

The final text will now go to a meeting of the Council for formal adoption.

RoHS final text

Directive Decoder

The RoHS recast will hit the Official Journal of the EU in the next few weeks. From 2014 the first group of category 8 (medical devices) and category 9 (monitoring and control equipment) will fall within scope.

ERA Technology who carried out the original review (seems a lifetime ago now) published an indicative list of what could fall within scope - see below:

List of category 8 and 9 products

Directive Decoder