September 16, 2005
| RoHS Ready! |
The Facts about RoHS
Directive [Download PDF
article]
 What is RoHS?
RoHS is
the Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances, a directive from
the European Union (EU) for environment protection. This bans the use of certain substances in
electrical and electronic equipment products after 1 July 2006.
What is
WEEE?
Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment is the directive that deals with the recovery,
sorting and treatment of non-compliant products.
Who is affected?
Both directives (RoHS & WEEE) will
affect:
- Manufactures and distributors selling
electrical and electronic equipment within the specified categories
- Companies selling equipment produced by
other suppliers under their own brand
- Companies importing (or exporting) affected
equipment into European Union (EU) member states
It is expected that from August 2005, such
producers will be responsible for financing the collection of waste electrical
and electronic equipment from central points, specialist treatment, and meeting
targets for re-use, recycling and recovery. This Directive covers the same scope
as WEEE, except for medical devices and monitoring and control
instruments. It also applies to electric light bulbs and light
fittings in households.
 What are the purposes of RoHS?
RoHS aims to:
- Protects human health and the environment
by restricting the use of certain hazardous substances in new equipment; and
- Complement the WEEE Directive.
What are the substances?
There are six (6) substances that are banned under RoHS
and must be replaced by other substances. The substances are:
- Cadmium (Cd)
- Mercury (Hg)
- Hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI))
- Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs)
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
- Lead (Pb)
Certain applications are
exempt from the requirements of the Directive including:
- Mercury (in some lighting applications)
- Lead in the glass of cathode ray tubes,
electronic components and fluorescent tubes.
- Lead in certain steel, aluminium and copper
alloys
- Lead in solders for servers, storage and
array systems (until 2010)
- Lead in certain high temperature solders
- Lead in solders for network infrastructure
equipment
- Lead in electronic ceramic parts
- Cadmium plating
- Hexavalent chromium (in absorption refrigerators)
- Arms, munitions and war
material
Source: DTI - Dept. of
Trade & Industry, UK
The exemptions will be
reviewed every four years. Before 13 February 2005 the European Commission will review
the terms of the Directive to take into account any new scientific
evidence.
What countries are
affected?
"Single market"
Directives such as RoHS apply to ALL European Union (EU) member states and must
be implemented in the same way to prevent differences in interpretation across
the member states. The WEEE Directive is not a single market Directive; it sets
minimum criteria for the collection of waste that member states may exceed if
they wish.
What are the benefits of the
RoHS?
The extraction of these raw
materials and their eventual disposal can cause damage to both the environment
in terms of pollution, as well as to human health from occupational exposure and
exposure following disposal. The removal of these materials from production will
reduce the health risks of exposure, particularly for children, the elderly and
pregnant women.
Timescale
The Government consultation paper of 30 July 2004
gives the latest compliance timetable.
|
13 February 2003 |
Directives
published |
|
31 March
2003 |
First
UK discussion paper
issued |
|
30 May
2003 |
Closing date for replies to
the above |
|
1 August
2003 |
Summary of all responses and
initial Government views published |
|
Early December
2003 |
Next detailed consultation
paper planned |
|
1 March 2004 |
Deadline for responses to
2nd consultation |
|
30 July 2004 - 9 October 2004 |
Final consultation on draft
regulations and non-statutory guidance |
|
Autumn 2004 |
Regulations
laid |
|
First quarter of
2005 |
Producers to commence
registration |
|
13 August
2005 |
Producer responsibility for
financing commences alongside retailer take-back. |
|
1 July 2006 |
RoHS substance ban
commences |
|
31 December 2006 |
Collection and recycling
targets to be achieved |
Source: DTI - Dept. of
Trade & Industry, UK
What has RoHS got to do with Macpower?
Environmental protection is always a priority in a
global company, so we, at Macpower are at the forefront of meeting the
requirements to meet the high standards of RoHS. We are doing our part to
protect the environment and the people by meeting the high standards of RoHS.
Our manufacturing plant in China uses one of the best Japanese equipment, EDX-700 by
Shimadzu Corporation, to meet the requirements used in RoHS.
This is part of Macpower
PMs commitments in producing quality, reasonably priced and yet
environmentally conscious products.
Macpower is RoHS Ready!
Are you ready?
Reference
EC Directive on Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and EC Directive on the Restriction
of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (RoHS)
http://www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/ | 
