RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances, referring to the European Union’s Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. This directive restricts the use of ten hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. The restrictions are on each homogeneous material in the product, which means that the limits do not apply to the weight of the finished product, or even to a component, but to any single material that could (theoretically) be separated mechanically. RoHS has been amended twice since first entering into force in 2006 to encompass ten hazardous substances. EU Directive 2015/863, set to take effect 22 July 2021, adds four new restricted substances – all phthalates. The four phthalates are mainly used as insulation plasticizers and are on the REACH list of SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern).
The expanded list is as follows:
All products manufactured in or imported into the EU, with exceptions, must comply with RoHS. Any business that sells applicable electrical or electronic products, equipment, sub-assemblies, cables, components, or spare parts directly to RoHS-directed countries, or sells to resellers, distributors, or integrators that in turn sell products to these countries, is impacted if they utilize any of the restricted 10 substances. We are not aware of any Anyload products that approach or exceed any of the hazardous substances thresholds and is committed to working with our suppliers to ensure that we maintain conformity to all current and future regulations. Of primary concern to our compliance is in regard to the first four aforementioned hazardous substances (1 to 4, highlighted). These may be found in electronic circuitry, soldering, alloys, paints, and plating. We are carefully monitoring our supply chain for these substances, in particular, to ensure that we are in full compliance.
Notable exemptions exist under the RoHS control regime per Article 2 of Directive 2011/65/EU (recast) for the following product categories (for substances 1 to 6 only):
Lead soldering up to 85% by weight in soldering and 0.035% in steel and aluminum alloys are also exempted until 21 July 2021. As many of Anyload’s products are used in the assembly of end-products, frequently for industrial purposes, most sales to Europe may also be protected by these broader exemptions. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding RoHS compliance and Anyload products. We would be happy to work with you to assure Anyload’s and your continued compliance.