RoHS Compliance

WHAT IS ROHS COMPLIANCE?

European Union (EU) Directives have restricted the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment for more than a decade. Originally issued in 2002, EU Directive 2002/95/EC (also known as the RoHS Directive) restricted the use of the six chemicals lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium, as well as flame retardants polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated dipheny ethers (PBDEs). Under the RoHS Directive, manufacturers are required to replace these chemicals in their products with less hazardous alternatives. 

In 2002, the European Union first introduced the concept of RoHS – the restriction on hazardous substances in electronic and electrical equipment (EEE). Directive 2002/95/EC, which came into effect from July 2006, required the demonstration of compliance with the six restricted substances: cadmium, chromium (VI), lead, mercury, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). However, since 3 January 2013, Directive 2011/65/EU, or RoHS 2, has replaced Directive 2002/95/EC. Besides expanding the scope and clarifying some definitions, RoHS 2 is now also a CE marking Directive. It is one of the first regulations to incorporate the New Legislative Framework (NLF) for the marketing of products, which lays down obligations for all operators within the supply chain. In addition, the new Directive also ensures that additional restricted substances to be included under RoHS 2 will be coherent with other chemical regulations such as REACH.

WHAT IS EU ROHS DIRECTIVE?

The EU RoHS Directive applies to equipment in the following categories:

• Automatic dispensers
• Consumer equipment
• Electronic & Electrical tools
• IT & Telecommunications equipment Large household appliances
• Lighting equipment
• Small household equipment
• Toys, leisure & sports equipment

The EU RoHS Directive restricts the use of the following six substances:

• Lead
• Cadmium
• Mercury
• Hexavalent Chromium
• Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs)
• Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)

TÜV SÜD SERVICES

TÜV SÜD provides testing services according to relevant international standards to determine the content of hazardous substances in materials. Equipped with up-to-date information on the EU RoHS Directive and other environmental regulations (e.g. Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive), TÜV SÜD provides a comprehensive range of services to support the industry in complying with the EU RoHS Directive and other environmental regulations. Our testing covers materials, components, parts and finished products.

We also provide screening tests in support of customers’ manufacturing process. In addition to issuing the TÜV SÜD certification marks, our services include XRF (X-ray fluorescence) screening tests, chemical analysis according to EN 62321, RoHS product certification, RoHS legislation consulting and training services.

1. Testing
   TÜV SÜD provides testing services according to the relevant international standards to determine the content of hazardous substance in materials. Testing is conducted at various levels: materials, components, parts and finished.
2. Certification
   TÜV SÜD provides IECQ QC080000 Hazardous Substances Process Management (HSPM) certification to related industries. TÜV SÜD is the first and only Certification Body, designated by SPRING Singapore in September 2007 for the certification of the IECQ QC080000 Hazardous Substances Process Management (HSPM Scheme).
3. In-house verification programme 
   TÜV SÜD is able to provide the value-added process, RoHS Stewardship Verification Scheme (RSVS), to assist companies in setting up management systems that effectively manage the manufacture of products in compliance with the EU RoHS Directive.

TÜV SÜD FACILITIES

• X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF)
• Gas-Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS)
• Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS)
• Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES)
• Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS), Cold Vapour Atomic

BENEFITS AT A GLANCE

• Save money and time - by ensuring that your products meet requirements, avoiding costly and time-consuming rework.
• Minimise risk - with independent testing to help you avoid regulatory violations and potential legal liabilities.
• Gain a competitive edge - by leveraging the well known and widely trusted TÜV SÜD certification mark for your product certification.
• Benefit from complete solutions - with close support from our experts who can help make sense of confusing legislative requirements.
• Gain an expert partner - with our professional, technically qualified experts located in all your key markets.

ACCREDITATION AND RECOGNITION

TÜV SÜD laboratories are accredited under the Singapore Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (SAC-SINGLAS).