RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU)

RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU, known as well as RoHS 2 Directive, is a recast of the first EU RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC. The new Directive came into force on the 21st of July, 2011 and was aligned with the New Legislative Framework. It lays down the rules on the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE).

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Such hazardous materials are, for example:

Mercury
Lead
Cadmium
Polybrominated biphenyls
Dibutyl phthalate
Diisobutyl phthalate
Hexavalent chromium
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and others

Scope of RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU

In comparison to RoHS 2002/95/EC, RoHS 2 has not only an expanded scope of products but also imposes new obligations on EEE manufacturers regarding the preparation of EU Declaration of Conformity and placing the CE markings on finished products.

Within the scope of RoHS 2011/65/EU are included electrical and electronic equipment from the following product categories:

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Large and small household appliances
IT and communications equipment
Lighting equipment
Consumer Equipment
Electrical and electronic tools
Automatic Dispensers
Toys
Leisure and sports equipment
Medical devices, including In-Vitro diagnostic medical devices
Monitoring and control instruments, including those with industrial purpose
Any other electrical and electronic equipment which is not covered by any of these categories – the deadline for adopting the change is the 22nd of July, 2019.

Currently, within the Directive’s scope are not included the following types of electrical and electronic equipment:

Equipment with specifically military purposes
Space equipment
Equipment specially designed to be a part of another kind of equipment outside of the scope of this Directive, and which can fulfil its function only if it is part of that equipment and can be replaced only by the same specially designed equipment
Large-scale stationary industrial tools
Transport vehicles for people or goods, except electric two-wheel vehicles which are not type-approved
Active implantable medical devices
Large-scale fixed installations
Photovoltaic panels assisting in the production of solar energy for a public, commercial, industrial and residential applications
Equipment which is designed explicitly for research and development
Others

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