RoHS Directive - Are you compliant?

By Ben Howe, Plastics Content Specialist for IDES
Visit Ben's Blog - Plastics Data: Quips about updates to technical information about plastic materials from resin manufacturers.

Related links: Finding RoHS Compliance Plastics Demo | RoHS Explained | RoHS Compliance | REACH | ECHA

The RoHS Directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances - 2002/95/EC) takes effect on July 1, 2006. If you or your company sells electrical/electronic equipment to the European Union, you've no doubt heard of RoHS, but the question is: are you compliant?

If you don't have any electronics destined for the EU, you're not off the hook, because new versions of RoHS are being introduced around the world. If the upcoming July deadline doesn't apply to you, you may have several other deadlines to watch for. In this article I answer two of the most frequently asked RoHS questions we hear at IDES, award two companies with gold stars for RoHS compliance reporting, and provide some links for more information about the numerous RoHS variants.

Since my last RoHS article (December 2005) IDES has received numerous requests for RoHS related information. Questions have covered the whole spectrum, from "Is this resin compliant?" to "Does the pre-lit Christmas tree we produce need to be in compliance?"

Does my application require RoHS compliance?

If your question deals with the requirement of RoHS compliance for your application (as in the case of the pre-lit Christmas tree), there are a number of services that can help. Other resources include Newark InOne.

Is the resin you're using RoHS compliant?

If you don't already have an established contact for regulatory information at the resin manufacturer in question, a good place to start to find this information is IDES. We've been working with manufacturers to get RoHS approval information added to datasheets. If you don't see "RoHS Compliant" on a datasheet, don't worry, we've got a list of contacts with various manufacturers that have asked that we direct RoHS inquiries directly to them. Sometimes bouncing around the phone system at a corporate headquarters until you reach someone that can help you can take a while, so I invite you to contact us for a quicker response.

Getting RoHS Information

Given the amount of questions pouring in related to RoHS, it's obvious that the information is hard to find. As a general rule, resin manufacturers do a poor job of making regulatory information easily accessible. Most companies have their main entrance on the information superhighway, but they've positioned their service entrance on a dirt road. Obtaining RoHS or any other regulatory information usually involves making a phone call, and in better cases, sending an e-mail.

Finding RoHS and other regulatory information on other websites requires a different approach. Regulatory information in some form is usually available, but finding it differs by site. Words to look for are "Environment", "Certification", "Regulatory", and "Literature". Usually one must navigate around a site before finding where the company decided to hide the information. I've found Google's search by site feature invaluable for finding information in the dark corners of a website. To search by site on Google, add "site: url" after your search term
(rohs site:www2.dupont.com).

If you're still not able to find the information you need after looking around, contact IDES, we've got some contacts within several large resin manufacturers ready to provide documentation on a case-by-case basis.

Environmental legislation is here to stay. In addition to the European (EU) version of RoHS, there are several other versions that are in development world-wide: China, Korea, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and state-specific US versions. Some of these new versions will take effect within the next year. If you're ready for the July 1 deadline for the EU RoHS, it's time to start getting ready for the next waves of RoHS.

European RoHS Deadline: July 1, 2006

• UK RoHS site

China RoHS Deadline: March 1, 2007

• Design Chain Associates

Korean RoHS Deadline: July 1, 2007

• Design Chain Associates
• Korean Environmental Laws – A conversation with Michael Kirschner (Design News)

USA RoHS Deadlines: (Varies by State)

• California RoHS Deadline: Deadline: January 1, 2007 (PBB and PBDE not covered)
  • California DTSC - Department of Toxic Substances Control

Additional Links: Each RoHS Law is Different (Design News)