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Speaker: Kenneth Zabel
Speaker Designation: Product Stewardship
RoHS – Restriction of Hazardous Substances – was introduced to improve the welfare of consumers, distributors, manufacturers, and the environment. The life of a non-RoHS part does not end at the final product. Once the product has been used and is no longer needed (broken, outdated, etc.), it is usually thrown away either to a recycling center or a landfill. While workers in a recycling facility use protective equipment, a landfill is just a hole in the ground. As time goes by, water can carry trace amounts of the harmful substances and pollute the ground over time. Harmful substances (such as lead and mercury) don’t usually degrade and continue to run through the ground. Eventually, they will find themselves in places such as the ocean and underground water reserves which can further pollute wildlife and food sources.
When it comes to individual people (you) complying with RoHS, the questions you should ask are:
RoHS is an initialism for Restriction on the use of certain Hazardous Substances. RoHS was first introduced as European Union Directive 2002/95/EC which went in force in 2003 to prevent the use of harmful substances in products – lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB, and PBDE. RoHS 2 Directive (2011/65/EU) requires products bearing the CE Mark for entry into the European Union (27 countries) to be RoHS compliant; it was expanded to include DEHP, DIHP, BBP, and DBP by Directive 2015/863.
In the past, this was a question of ethics and - let’s face it - most of us have gone for the cheaper, non-RoHS option because we cry when we open our wallets to pay for the more expensive lead-free solder. Using non-RoHS parts is now a legal matter: you have to use RoHS materials, parts, and components for products that will sell in the EU. All products have to conform to the European standards, denoted by the CE mark.
