seeba Fact Sheet
Restriction of the use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in EEE ("RoHS") Directive 2002/95/EC
Based on
- Art. 95 (i.e. EU Treaty basis for harmonisation of laws across Member States)
- Focuses upon Substance 'Substitution' (i.e. phase out and replacement by more environmentally friendly alternatives)
For 'producers' (i.e. manufacturers, companies selling bought in products under there own brand name & importers):
- Substance 'substitutions' (i.e. phase outs) affecting:
- lead
- mercury
- cadmium
- hexavalent chromium
- 2 brominated flame retardants (PBB and PBDE). Deca BDE is under assessment
- Substances to be phased out of products by 1st July 2006
- Applies to following categories
- Large household appliances
- Small household appliances
- IT and telecommunications equipment
- Consumer equipment
- Lighting equipment
- Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)
- Toys, leisure and sports equipment
- Automatic dispensers
- Exemptions permitted are:
- Mercury in compact fluorescent lamps not exceeding 5 mg per lamp.
- Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for general purposes not exceeding.
- halophosphate 10 mg
- triphosphate with normal lifetime 5 mg
- triphosphate with long lifetime 8 mg
- Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for special purposes. (Under assessment)
- Mercury in other lamps not specifically mentioned in this Annex.
- Lead in glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components and fluorescent tubes.
- Lead as an alloying element in steel containing up to 0,35% lead by weight, aluminium containing up to 0,4% lead by weight and as a copper alloy containing up to 4% lead by weight.
- Lead in high melting temperature type solders (i.e. tin-lead solder alloys containing more than 85% lead),
- Lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems (exemption granted until 2010. but under assessment),
- Lead in solders for network infrastructure equipment for switching, signalling, transmission as well as network management for telecommunication, (Under assessment)
- Lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic devices).
- Cadmium plating except for applications banned under Directive 91/338/EEC 1 amending Directive 76/769/EEC relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations
- Hexavalent chromium as an anti-corrosion of the carbon steel cooling system in absorption refrigerators.
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