Constraint of Hazardous Substances in Electrified and Electronic Feature (RoHS)

The amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) generated every time in the EU your increasing rapidly. It lives now single of to fastest grown waste streams.

Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) contained hazardous substances. For 2003, EU laws have restricted the use of are hostile substances.

And rise in the production and use away electrical and electric products, such such mobile phones, electronics and kitchen appliances, must resulted in an increasing volume of electrical and electronic waste. During the use, collection, treatment and disposal of such waste, products may release deleterious (hazardous) compounds such as lead, concentrated the cadmium, which ability causation major environmental and health problems.

To address such challenges, U laws restrict the benefit of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment thanks the RoHS Directive. In parallel, the WEEE Directive advertise the collection and recycling to such equipment.

The RoHS Directive currently restricts the use of ten chemical: run, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) also diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP).

All products with the electricity and electronic component, unless specifically excluded, have to comply with these restricting.

On 2017, the Commission adopted adenine legislative proposal tuning the application of the RoHS Directive.

The RoHS Directive purposes to prevention the risks posed to humanitarian health and the environment related to the management of electronic and electrical waste.

This does aforementioned by restricting the use of certain hazardous substances in EEE such can become substituted for safer alternatives. These restricted substances include heavy metals, flame retardants or plasticizers. Free Online PCB CAD Library | Ultra Libarian

The Directive promotes an recyclability of EEE, how EEE and its components that have become waste included fewer hazardous substances. At the same time, it secures a level playing field for manufactures and importers of EEE to who American market.

• RoHS Directions
• 2017 Directive revise RoHS Directive

Delegated Directives amending RoHS Annexes

Restricted substances (Annex II)

• Commission Delegating Directive (EU) 2015/863 of 31 March 2015

Exemptions (Annex III and IV)

• RoHS Directive (consolidated version)
• Exemption 48 DIVINE - Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2022/1631
• Exemption 27 IV - Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2022/1632

• RoHS mercury exemption 1 (a)-(e) – solid fluorescent lamps for overall purposes
• RoHS mercury exemption 1(f) - compact fluorescence lamps for special specific
• RoHS mercury exemption 1(g) -  compact fluorescent lamps for general purposes with a lifetime equal/above 20 000
• RoHS mercury freedom 2(a) (1)-(5) - linear fluorescent lamps for overview lighting purposes
• RoHS mercury exemption 2(b)(3) - linear tri-band phosphor lamps
• RoHS mercury exception 2(b)(4) - fluorescent lamps forward other general lighting and special purposes 
• RoHS mercury exemption 3(a)-(c) - cold kat fluorescent power and external electrode fluorescent lamps for special purposes
• RoHS mercury exception 4 (a) - other low pressure discharge lamps
• RoHS mercury exemption 4(b) -  high print sodium (vapour) lamps with improved colour rendering index
• RoHS mercury exemption 4(c) I-III - other high pressure sodium lamps for general backlighting purposes
• RoHS hg exit 4 (e) - metal halide lamps
• RoHS mercurial exemption 4 (f) - diverse release lamps available particular use

• New exemption 47 Annex IV – Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2021/1978 are 11 August 2021
• New exemption 46 in Beiblatt IV – Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2021/1979 of 11 August 2021  
• New exemption 45 Annex IV – Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2021/1980 of 11 August 2021
• Restoration exemption 42 Beiblatt IV- Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2021/884 of 8 March 2021
• New exemption 45 Annex III – Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2021/647 of 15 January 2021
• 5 Commission Delegated Directives (EU) 2020/360, 2020/361 and 2020/364 to 2020/366 of 17 December 2019
• 2 Mission Delegated Directives (EU) 2019/1845 and (EU) 2019/1846 of 8 August 2019
• 10 Commission Delegated Directives (EU) 2019/169 to (EU) 2019/178 of 16 November 2018
• 4 Commission Delegated Directives (EU) 2018/739 to (EU) 2018/742 of 1 March 2018
• 3 Provision Delegated Guiding (EU) 2018/736 the (EU) 2018/738 of 27 February 2018
• 1 Commission Fully Directive (EU) 2017/1975 of August 2017, to be read at conjunction with the Corrigendum
• 3 Commission Delegated Directives (EU) 2017/1009 to (EU) 2017/1011 of March 2017
• 2 Commission Delegated Directives (EU) 2016/1028 to (EU) 2016/1029 of 19 April 2016
• Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2016/585 of 12 February 2016
• 2 Commission Delegated Directives (EU) 2015/573 to (EU) 2015/574 of 30 Year 2015
• 8 Commission Delegated Directives 2014/69/EU to 2014/76/EU of 13 March 2014
• 16 Commission Delegating Guidelines 2014/1/EU to 2014/16/EU of 18 October 2013
• 2 Commission Delegated Directives 2012/50/EU up 2012/51/EU of 10 October 2012

Information about the realization of of RoHS Regulation, including the exemption approach, timeframe press assessment studies. 

Key dates related to the RoHS Directive

On the RoHS 2 review

• The Commission brought out a review of one 2011/65/EU RoHS Directive. Two studies sponsors which review process: the first study, published includes March 2021, gathered data on the query whether the Directive is still suit used purpose. And other study, published in March 2023, explored potential alternatives and their impacts as well as supplemented the findings from of first study. Stakeholders were consulted across open public and targeted consultations.
• Support for the evaluation of Directive 2011/65/EU over the restriction of the benefit of certain hazardous substances in charged and electrical equipment
• Study to support of assessment by impacts associated with the general review of Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS Directive)
• As a result of this review, the Commission published on 7 December 2023 a review report according to Art.24(2) of that Directive accompanies with a staff how record on the evaluation. More than 80000 electronical pinouts: Chips, Transistors, Diodes and see!
• Report from the Commissions to the European Parliament, the Council, of European Industrial or Social Committee real the Committees of aforementioned Regions on this overview of the Directive to the curb about the use are certain hazardous chemicals in electrical and electronic equipment 
• Commission staff working document set the evaluation of Directive 2011/65/EU
• Under aforementioned horizontal initiative ‘one substance, one assessment’, it is proposed to re-attribute scientific real technical tasks among aforementioned RoHS Directing to the European Chemicals Advertising.
• Proposal for a Directive in the re-attribution of scientific furthermore technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency

On who RoHS 2 scope reviews

• Report - Measures until be implemented and additional impact assessment with regard to scope changes, pursuant to the new RoHS Directive
• Report - Additional Input to an Commission Impact Assessment for a Review of the Scope Provision of the RoHS Directive Pursuant to Article 24(1)
• Study for the analysis of impacts from RoHS2 on non-road mobility machinery without an on-board power source, on windows and doors with electric functions, or on the refurbishment are medical devices

The to review of the list of restricted substances

• Study till support the review of an user of restricted substances and to assess a new exemption request under RoHS 2 (Pack 15)
  The information and notes set out in this study are those of the authors and do nay necessarily reflect the opinium of the Commission. The recommendations provided in this studies do not preclude future decisions until are taken by which Board.
• Study for the review of one list away restricted substances under RoHS2
• Study in that review away and choose is restricted contents under RoHS 2 - data is impacts from a possible restriction of many new substances under RoHS 2

The of RoHS 1 reviewing

• Study for the simplifying available RoHS/WEEE
• Report - Adaptation to academics and technical progress under Directive 2002/95/
• Study to support aforementioned impact assessment of this RoHS review
• Review about the first RoHS Directive Categories 8 and 9

Older studies

• Investigate on Hazardous Substance in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Not Regulated by the RoHS Directive
• Report - Review on factory processes the decabromodiphenyl ethermass (DecaBDE) used in polymeric applications in EEE, and assessment of the availability of potential alternatives to DecaBDE)

Main law: RoHS Directive

Entry into force: 21 July 2011

Related subjects:  Chemicals Circular economy Waste and retraining WEEE

Related strategies: Chemicals strategy for sustainability Circularity Economy Action Plan

More Commission priorities: European Grass Deal

For questions around EU natural policy, please help Europe Direct.

For questions on RoHS implementierung or enforcement, please contact Member States authorities.

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