Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances
Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) it is a directive of the European Union that restricts the use of certain hazardous materials in electrical and electronic equipment.
The original RoHS directive (RoHS 1) (2002/95/EC) was introduced in 2002 and became effective on July 1, 2006. It restricted the use of six hazardous materials in electrical and electronic equipment: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The directive was adopted to address the growing problem of electronic waste and the environmental impact of hazardous substances in electronic equipment.
In 2011, the directive was revised and became known as RoHS 2 (2011/65/EU). The revised directive expanded the scope of RoHS to cover all electrical and electronic equipment, including medical devices and monitoring and control instruments. It also introduced new requirements for manufacturers, such as mandatory CE marking and the need to create technical documentation and provide information to consumers.
RoHS 3 (2015/863/EU), also known as RoHS Recast, is the latest version of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive. It was introduced by the European Union in 2015 and became effective on July 22, 2019.
RoHS 3 is an update to RoHS 2 and aims to further restrict the use of hazardous substances in electronic and electrical equipment. The directive expands the list of restricted substances to include four additional phthalates: Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP). These phthalates are commonly used as plasticizers in various electronic and electrical equipment.
In addition to the new substances, RoHS 3 also includes updated requirements for conformity assessment, including the need for manufacturers to issue a Declaration of Conformity (DoC) and to maintain technical documentation for a period of 10 years after placing the product on the market.
The aim of RoHS 3 is to further reduce the environmental impact of electronic waste and to protect human health by limiting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
Since its introduction, RoHS has become a global standard, with many countries adopting similar regulations to limit the use of hazardous materials in electronic equipment.
The RoHS directive forces Radware to design its products in compliance with these requirements.