The UK Regulations that will implement the EU Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (the "RoHS" Directive) have now been published (SI2005 No. 2748). The Regulations will come into force on 1 July 2006.
Subject to certain exemptions, the RoHS Regulations will prohibit the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and types of brominated flame retardant in new electrical and electronic equipment as of 1 July 2006. Draft non-statutory guidance on the UK RoHS Regulations has been published by the DTI and is available from its website (see link below).
The RoHS Regulations will have significant impacts on manufacturers, importers and own-branders of electronic products as well as component suppliers and, potentially, end users. The wider implications of the Regulations must be considered from product design to sales through to product end of life. Failure to comply with the requirements of the RoHS Regulations will be a criminal offence.
The related Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive has yet to be implemented in the UK. Further developments are anticipated in the near future.
The RoHS Regulations are available at:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20052748.htm
Draft DTI guidance on the RoHS Regulations is available at:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/RoHS_Regs_Draft_Guidance_3_August2005.pdf
This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq
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The original publication date for this article was 24/10/2005.