Restriction of Hazardous Substances or RoHS originated in the European Union and restricts the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. It is also known as the RoHS Directive or Directive 2002/95/EC.
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The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS 1), short for Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, was adopted in February 2003 by the European Union.
| European Union directive | |
 | |
| Title | Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment |
|---|---|
| Made by | Council & Parliament |
| Made under | Art. 95 EC |
| Journal reference | eur-lex.europa.eu L37, 13 February 2003, pp. 19–23 |
| History | |
| Date made | 27 January 2003 |
| Entry into force | 13 February 2003 |
| Implementation date | 13 August 2004 |
| Preparative texts | |
| Commission proposal | C365E, 19 December 2000, p. 195, C240E, 28 August 2001, p. 303. |
| EESC opinion | C116, 20 April 2001, p. 38. |
| CR opinion | C148, 18 May 2001, p. 1. |
| EP opinion | C34E, 7 February 2002, p. 109. |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Directive 2008/35/EC; Decision 2005/618/EC, Decision 2005/717/EC, Decision 2005/747/EC, Decision 2006/310/EC, Decision 2006/690/EC, Decision 2006/691/EC, Decision 2006/692/EC, Decision 2008/385/EC. |
| Replaced by | Directive 2011/65/EU, 3 January 2013 |
The initiative was to limit the amount of hazardous chemicals in electronics.
The RoHS 1 directive took effect on 1 July 2006, and is required to be enforced and became a law in each member state. The directive restricts (with exceptions) the use of ten hazardous materials in the manufacture of various electronic and electrical equipment. In addition to the exceptions, there are exclusions for products such as solar panels. It is closely linked with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) 2002/96/EC (now superseded) which sets collection, recycling, and reclamation goals for electrical goods and is part of a legislative initiative to solve the problem of huge amounts of toxic electronic waste. In speech, RoHS is often spelled out, or pronounced[citation needed] /rɒs/, /rɒʃ/, /roʊz/, or /ˈroʊhɒz/, and refers to the EU standard, unless otherwise qualified.
