Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, is a product-level compliance regulation that restricts the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products (EEE) and originated in the European Union. All applicable products in the EU after July 1, 2006, must adhere to RoHS compliance. Products that are RoHS compliant do not exceed the allowable amounts of the following restricted materials: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDE), with some limited exemptions. The restricted materials are hazardous to the environment and create occupational exposure risks during manufacturing and recycling.
The RoHS directive is a guide for all manufacturers to reverse this negative scenario. The aim of the RoHS directive is to prevent environmental and health problems that may be caused by electronic devices or electrical appliances. In our country, the Regulation on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (in short, the EEE Regulation), which was prepared on the basis of this directive, was published in 2008.
This directive affects manufacturers, their authorized representatives, importers, and distributors of products including household appliances, computers, consumer electronics, power tools, toys, and more.
