With more and more electrical and electronic items becoming available, coupled with the shorter life cycles of these products, it is critical that these products are produced with minimum risk to human health and the environment.
The Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive limits the amount of six hazardous substances used in manufacturing many common, frequently used Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE).
Since 1 July 2006, components and materials of EEE placed on the market for the first time can only contain very low concentrations of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated dipenhyl ethers.
EEE covered by this Directive is found in Categories 1 to 7 and Category 10 of Annex 1B of the WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC). All producers (as defined by the WEEE regulations) who have registered on the WEEE register for 2006 have declared that they will supply only RoHS compliant EEE onto EU markets after 1 July 2006.
The Environmental Protection Agency enforces the Directive in Ireland.
Producers will be required to provide documented evidence that their products are compliant.
These records must be accessible for six years from the end of the year the EEE was last placed on the EU market. In some cases analysis of components and/or materials used in the EEE may have to be carried out.
Additionally, producers or distributors who know they have placed non-RoHS compliant products on the market are legally obliged to inform the EPA of this.
The RoHS Directive is just part of an ever-increasing push for more environmentally sound manufacturing policies across the whole electrical and electronic industries.
Find out more about the WEEE Directive
Check the relevant legislation:
2005/618/EC 18 August 2005 2005/717/EC 13 October 2005 2005/747/EC 21 October 2005 2006/310/EC 21 April 2006 2006/690/EC 12 October 2006 2006/691/EC 12 October 2006 2006/692/EC 12 October 2006
