The growth of new technology has created a large amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Much of this waste contains substances that are harmful to human heath and the environment, making it difficult to recycle or dispose of.
The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) Regulations limit the amount of hazardous substances that can be used in the manufacture of new electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market anywhere in the European Union (EU).
RoHS affects your business if you:
- manufacture or import electrical and electronic equipment
- export EEE to other EU member states, Norway, Liechtenstein or Iceland
- rebrand EEE as your own product.
If you put new electrical and electronic goods onto the EU market they must not contain more than the permitted levels of certain hazardous substances.
If your business does not comply with the RoHS Regulations you risk substantial fines. In some cases you may also be required to correct the problem and ensure that your products comply, which may enable you to avoid a fine.
You may also have to comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations.
