RoHS directives

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Directive 2011/65 / EU

Title: Directive 2011/65 / EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 8, 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
Designation:
(not official) 		RoHS 2
Scope: EEA
Legal matter: Environmental law , chemicals law
Basis: TFEU , in particular Article 114
Procedure overview: European Commission
European Parliament
IPEX Wiki
To be used from: January 3, 2013
Reference: OJ L 174 of 1.7.2011, pp. 88-110
Full text Consolidated version (not official)
basic version
The regulation must have been implemented in national law.
Please note the information on the current version of legal acts of the European Union !

European Union flag

Directive 2002/95 / EC

Title: Directive 2002/95 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 27, 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
Designation:
(not official) 		RoHS 1
Scope: EEA
Legal matter: Environmental law , chemicals law
Basis: EC Treaty , in particular Article 95
Procedure overview: European Commission
European Parliament
IPEX Wiki
To be used from: August 13, 2004
Reference: OJ L 37 of 13.2.2003, pp. 19-23
Full text Consolidated version (not official)
basic version
Regulation has expired.
Please note the information on the current version of legal acts of the European Union !

The EU Directive 2011/65 / EU serves to restrict the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. It regulates the use and placing on the market of hazardous substances in electrical devices and electronic components . Directive 2011/65 / EU (RoHS 2) replaced the previous directive 2002/95 / EC (RoHS 1) on January 3, 2013 . Both policies are unofficially with RoHS abbreviated ( English Restriction of Hazardous Substances , limitation [the use of certain] hazardous substances' ).

target

The aim of the guidelines is to ban problematic components from electronic waste. This includes, among other things, replacing leaded soldering of electronic components with unleaded soldering, banning environmentally harmful flame retardants in cable insulation and promoting the introduction of equivalent replacement products, if possible. Furthermore, the electrical devices and components used must themselves be free of the problematic substances.

Companies that import such devices or sell them within the EU are directly affected by the guidelines, as they are obliged to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Substances and limit values

Some of the substances used in electrical engineering are considered to be environmentally hazardous. On the one hand, they have a toxic effect above certain quantities, on the other hand, they cannot be broken down in the environment or only poorly. The RoHS guidelines are intended to minimize the entry of these substances into the environment.

This particularly affects:

  1. Lead (Pb), 0.1% - used, among other things, for soldered connections
  2. Mercury (Hg), 0.1% - used in tilt switches and mercury vapor rectifiers, among other things
  3. Cadmium (Cd), 0.01% - used in nickel-cadmium batteries, among other things
  4. hexavalent chromium (Cr VI), 0.1% - used, among other things, as a component of paints and varnishes, wood preservatives.
  5. Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), 0.1% flame retardant in plastic insulation
  6. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), 0.1% - flame retardant in plastic insulation

On March 31, 2015, the following substances were also included in the Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863, which the EU member states have to apply since July 22, 2019 (end of the transition period):

  1. Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), 0.1% - used, among other things, as a plasticizer in PVC
  2. Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), 0.1% - used, among other things, as a plasticizer in plastics
  3. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), 0.1% - used, among other things, as a plasticizer in plastics
  4. Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), 0.1% - used as a plasticizer in plastics, among other things

According to Annex II of Directive 2011/65 / EU (RoHS 2), the percentages represent the maximum permissible maximum concentrations in homogeneous materials in percent by weight. In the previous and now superseded Directive 2002/95 / EC (RoHS 1, Article 4, Paragraph 1 ) no limit values ​​were defined, which meant that these substances were in principle not allowed to be contained in products. This absolute ban on content was replaced in 2005 by limit values ​​that were economically feasible and verifiable by measurement technology.

In accordance with Article 6 of Directive 2011/65 / EU (RoHS 2), we reserve the right to introduce or change limit values ​​for substances that are already regulated or have not yet been recorded.

Further reviews should be carried out regularly in accordance with Article 6, Paragraph 1. However, no subsequent date or interval is specified in the regulation. A review of the previous limit values ​​and regulated substances is also possible if a corresponding proposal is submitted by a member state.

CE marking

Since 2011, compliance with the RoHS directive has been a prerequisite for affixing the CE mark to the devices concerned . Compliance with the RoHS directive must be confirmed in the EU declaration of conformity .

implementation

The implementation of the RoHS directives requires a change in many common production processes. The use of lead-free tin solder is often seen as problematic . In non-safety-critical applications, tin-silver, tin-copper and tin-bismuth, among others, are used as replacements for the lead-containing alloys, which as a rule result in a deterioration in the quality of the soldered connection or an increase in costs. Since empirical values ​​about the long-term reliability of the new soldering alloys are not yet available, and failures due to defective soldering joints in safety-relevant areas such as cars, aerospace, medicine and the military could lead to serious problems, there are a number of exceptions when using lead-free solder.

In the case of repairs, lead-containing old assemblies can and should continue to be processed with lead-containing solder in order to avoid mixed alloys, which could then be problematic in terms of behavior. Otherwise, repairs to lead-free assemblies must always be carried out with RoHS-compliant alloys, i. This means that no lead may be added to the assembly during repairs. A repair with the same alloy that was used in production would be ideal.

The RoHS will therefore be updated as empirical values ​​progress. For example, the exception rules for devices in medical technology application areas have now been limited in time by Directive 2011/65 / EU. Medical devices that have been on the market since July 22, 2014, in vitro diagnostics since July 22, 2016, and industrial monitoring and control instruments that have been on the market since July 22, 2017 must also comply with the RoHS Meet Directive.

Exceptions

There are some exemptions for certain device groups, applications, components and materials. The exact list of exceptions can be found in Article 4, Annex III and Annex IV of Directive 2011/65 / EU. These exceptions are all limited in time, but can in some cases be extended or changed by applying to the EU Commission . With the 2019/172 / EU, there was again an adjustment in the field of semiconductor components that was limited to a maximum of July 2024.

Exemplary and incomplete list of some specific exceptions:

  1. Mercury in compact fluorescent lamps in a maximum amount of 5 mg per lamp. (Since 2012 3.5 mg, since 2013 2.5 mg.)
  2. Lead in the glass of cathode ray tubes , electronic components and fluorescent tubes.
  3. Lead as an alloying element in steel with a lead content of up to 0.35 percent by weight, in aluminum with a lead content of up to 0.4 percent by weight and in copper alloys with a lead content of up to 4 percent by weight.
  4. Lead in refractory solders (i.e. lead-based solder alloys with a mass fraction of at least 85% lead),
  5. Hexavalent chromium as an anti-corrosion agent for the carbon steel cooling system in absorption refrigerators .
  6. Lead in lead bronze bearing cups and bushings.
  7. Lead in press-fit connectors with flexible zone.
  8. Lead in starter batteries for motor vehicles.

Legal regulations

The first RoHS directive was passed on January 27, 2003. By the end of 2004, it should have been implemented in national law in the EU member states . However, the situation in the individual countries is different.

In Germany , the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) came into force on August 13, 2005. In addition to the RoHS directive, it also implemented the WEEE directive into national law. The transition period for the affected manufacturers and industries ran until July 1, 2006. To implement Directive 2011/65 / EU into German law, the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Substance Ordinance was created and thus the requirements of the RoHS Directive again from the ElektroG removed.

In Austria , the implementation of the RoHS and WEEE directives is regulated in the Electrical Equipment Ordinance , which came into force on April 30, 2005, and in Switzerland in the Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance .

Comparable regulations in countries outside the EU

The Switzerland moved (with the adoption of ChemRRV Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance after).

Similar regulations are also being discussed, implemented or already in force in countries such as Japan and the USA .

In the People's Republic of China , “ China RoHS ” ( Management Methods for Controlling Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products Regulation ) came into force on March 1, 2007 . The industry is faced with a broad set of rules with substance bans, certifications and / or customs controls as well as labeling obligations. The scope of this directive initially refers to the same six substance classes of the RoHS directive. There are also requirements for energy efficiency , easy recycling and environmental compatibility. The packaging must also be environmentally friendly and the materials must be named.

Norway had presented a draft directive under the name PoHS that would ban a total of 18 substances in consumer goods. The PoHS only overlapped with the RoHS in two substances: cadmium and lead. The PoHS directive has meanwhile been stopped due to vehement objections from the EU.

South Korea passed a law commonly known as Korea RoHS on April 27, 2007 , which took effect on August 1, 2008. The correct title is Act for Resource of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles . In this law, the EU directives RoHS, WEEE and ELV ( end-of-life vehicle directive ) are largely adopted. A labeling of the products as with the ChinaRoHS is not intended.

Proof of RoHS conformity

There are two ways of proving RoHS conformity, which are specified in standards:

DIN EN 62321 - Chemical analysis

The title of the first part of the seven-part DIN EN 62321 reads: Procedure for the determination of certain substances in electrical engineering products - Part 1: Introduction and overview - ( IEC 62321-1: 2013; German version EN 62321-1: 2013).

In a chemical analysis, in advance, z. B. optical methods such as X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) determine the concentrations in which the elements or compounds concerned can occur (screening). Further analyzes must follow depending on this result. If, for example, bromine or chromium is detected in relevant quantities in an XRF, it must be checked whether it is the regulated brominated flame retardant or chromium 6+. Analytical test results in accordance with this standard are a type of document that is permissible in accordance with DIN EN 50581 in order to prove the conformity of components and assemblies.

DIN EN 50581 → replaced by DIN EN IEC 63000 - Technical Documentation

The harmonized standard DIN EN IEC 63000 ("Technical documentation for the assessment of electrical and electronic equipment with regard to the restriction of hazardous substances" (IEC 63000: 2016); German version EN IEC 63000: 2018) specifies how manufacturers of electrical equipment can provide evidence of the corresponding Have to keep documents. The manufacturer assesses the type of documents required based on the reliability of the supplier and the likelihood that certain components or materials will violate the RoHS specifications. It may be sufficient to have contractual agreements or supplier declarations. However, it may also be necessary that a material declaration with all chemical compounds used or analytical test results for all components and materials are necessary. The standard requires that the documents can be assigned to the components (e.g. via serial number, series or material definition). The quality and trustworthiness of the documents must then be assessed. If there is a high risk, further measures, such as your own chemical analysis, must be carried out.

See also

Web links

Commons : RoHS  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Directive (EU) 2015/863 of March 31, 2015 amending Annex II of Directive 2011/65 / EU of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the list of substances that are subject to restrictions
  2. ↑ 2005/618 / EC: Commission decision of August 18, 2005 amending the annex to Directive 2002/95 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council in order to establish maximum concentration values ​​for certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
  3. ↑ Directive 2011/65 / EU in the consolidated version of July 21, 2011 , accessed on November 16, 2019 (with appendices).
  4. ↑ Directive (EU) 2019/172 regarding lead in semiconductor components , accessed on November 16, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Directive 2011/65 / EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 8, 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment , accessed on October 30, 2012
  6. ↑ Ordinance on the reduction of risks when handling certain particularly dangerous substances, preparations and objects (Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance, ORRChem) , Annex 2.18.
  7. ↑ A prominent example is the California Proposition 65 ( The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 ).