EPI

Global RoHS/WEEE Requirements

The EU's RoHS (Restrictions on the Use of certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directives are the most widely-known legislation on electrical and electronic products, producing a wave of implementing laws across Europe. Several countries, including EU member states, non-EU European countries, and Asian nations, have requirements for the separate collection and management of end-of-life electronics, that predate the EU Directives. Other jurisdictions including EU applicants, China, several Canadian provinces, and a few US states, are enacting electronics legislation, some of which is modeled in part on the WEEE and RoHS Directives.

As EU member states implement the provisions of the RoHS and WEEE Directives, and as other requirements emerge around the world, the challenge of complying with these regulations is growing.

Many Obligations for the Electronics Industry

Compliance with product-based requirements for finished electronics products is particularly complex, as these products are typically sold in complex protective packaging systems and often include batteries. This means that the finished sales unit must comply with all applicable requirements for each of these product groups. The following table shows the overlap and provides illustrative examples of these requirements.

Product Stewardship Requirements for a Typical Consumer Electronics Product

	Type of Legislation
	Product	Battery	Packaging
Materials Restrictions	X(e.g. RoHS)	X(various heavy metals limits)	X (e.g. Essential Requirements)
Design / Construction Requirements	X(e.g. no disabling technologies)	X (e.g. removability)	X (e.g. source reduction)
Labeling / Information Requirements	X(e.g. wheelie-bin)	X(e.g. wheelie-bin)	X(e.g. material coding)
Recovery / Fee Requirements	X(national fee systems)	X (national fee systems)	X(national fee systems)

EPI's Approach

EPI will help you develop and implement a compliance action plan based on your products, markets, structure, and current compliance status. We will keep you abreast of changes in regulations, helping you find the most efficient and cost-competitive way to comply with your obligations. We can provide you with model specifications and help develop a protocol to ensure that they are being met.