Manufacturers and designers of products that contain electronic parts are aware of the new environmental directives being laid down in Europe referred to as WEEE and RoHS.

The RoHS legislation only covers countries in the European Union. So why should companies in the United States care? The fact is, the regulations only apply to Europe, but countries throughout the world that sell or distribute products in Europe, or even supply components to companies that sell or distribute products in Europe, need to be aware of and compliant with RoHS.

Here is a quick FAQ on what these regulations entail and what it means for global consumer durable products:

What is RoHS?

The European Union (EU) Directive on the Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances. This bans the use of certain substances in electrical and electronic equipment products placed on the European market after July 2006.

Download RoHS PDF.

The following product categories are impacted under the RoHS Directive:

1. Large household appliances: refrigerators, washers, stoves, air conditioners
2. Small household appliances: vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, coffee makers, irons
3. Computing & communications equipment: computers, printers, copiers, phones
4. Consumer electronics: TVs, DVD players, stereos, video cameras
5. Lighting: lamps, lighting fixtures, light bulbs
6. Power tools: drills, saws, nail guns, sprayers, lathes, trimmers, blowers
7. Toys and sports equipment: videogames, electric trains, treadmills
8. Automatic dispensers: vending machines, ATM machines

The following products are currently exempted from RoHS compliance:

1. Large stationary industrial tools
2. Control and monitoring equipment
3. National security use and military equipment
4. Medical devices
5. Some light bulbs and some batteries
6. Spare parts for electronic equipment in the market before July 1, 2006.

What is WEEE?

Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Deals with the best available treatment, recovery & recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. Legislation becomes effective Aug 13, 2005. All EEE put on the market as from that date have to be WEEE marked (EN50419) and have to be collected after the products end of life.

Download WEEE Directive PDF here.

Which products are affected under the WEEE directive?

Large domestic devices (refrigerator, washing machine, microwave,...)
Small domestic devices (vacuum cleaner, iron, hair dryer,...)
IT & remote communication device (mainfraime, PC,... )
Consumer devices (radio, TV, video, audio, ...)
Illumination (fluorescent, discharge lamp,...)
Power Tool (drill, lathe, polishing tool, lawnmower, ...)
Toys (train/car racing set, game devices,...)
Medical devices (radiation therapy device, electrocardiogram,...)
Measure & controller (scale, measuring machine,...)
Vending machines (various)

A detailed FAQ with the list of banned materials and the products covered by these directives is available here. [courtesy Brady Europe]

Which other countries are applying the EU's directives?

The RoHS laws affect only the EU. But a number of non-EU countries have adopted the idea and put in place similar laws or voluntary regulations to the same effect. Following is an overview of the expected consequences.

China
China has recently published a "China RoHS". An official translation is still pending.

Japan
There are no RoHS equivalent laws in Japan, however the industry is following a voluntary program that aims to remove lead from the production process by the end of 2005.

USA
The USA has no federal laws to reduce the use of lead. Though California has issued the "California RoHS" law that prohibits selling electronic products containing lead in California after January 1st 2007.

Korea
South Korea has recently announced a similar law which is commonly refered to as KoreaRoHS.

Taiwan
Expected to create a similar regulation by 2008.

Australia
Regulation in place or pending.

Other countries
As of now no other countries have similar laws. Though it is to be expected that more countries will follow the RoHS initiative either by issuing laws or by the industry voluntarily following the RoHS.