2011/65/EU - RoHS Compliant Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. RoHS can be pronounced “Ar, Oh, Ach, Es” or like “rose.”

The RoHS Directive lays down rules on the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) with a view to contributing to the protection of human health and the environment, including the environmentally sound recovery and disposal of waste EEE.

One of the prime objectives of RoHS 2 is to address concerns related to the increasing volume of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) arising in the EU. Hazardous substances in this type of equipment could be released during waste management processes and could give rise to damage to human health and the environment. The most effective way to address this concern is to restrict the use of the hazardous substances at the point of manufacture.

This is a European Union regulation. The sole purpose is to address the global issue of consumer electronics waste. With the forever evolving technology world, many electronics are disposed and end up in landfills which end up causing environmental and human health hazards. This directive pertains to manufacturing of various types of electronic and electrical equipment without the use of six different hazardous materials:

• Lead (Pb)
• Mercury (Hg)
• Cadmium (Cd)
• Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+): Used in chrome plating, chromate coatings, and primers
• Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB): Flame retardant in plastic
• Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE): Flame retardant in plastic

Which Products Are Covered By The RoHS Directive?

The RoHS directive applies to the following types of equipment:

• Large household appliances.
• Small household appliances.
• IT & Telecommunications equipment (although infrastructure equipment is exempt in some countries)
• Consumer equipment.
• Lighting equipment—including light bulbs.
• Electronic and electrical tools.
• Toys, leisure, and sports equipment.
• Medical devices (exemption removed in July 2011)
• Monitoring and control instruments (exemption removed in July 2011)
• Automatic dispensers
• Other EEE not covered by any of the categories above