The addition of seven new substances to the RoHS Annex II restricted substance list is being considered. Per article 6 of 2011/65/EU, restricted substances are to be periodically reviewed and Annex II is to be amended based upon “a thorough assessment.” Most frequently, this annex was updated to include 4 phthalates which will be enforced beginning in July 2019.
The “Study on the review of the list of restricted substances and to assess new exemption request under RoHS 2 – Pack 15,” conducted by Öko Institut & Fraunhofer Institute, sets out to update methodology for the “thorough assessment” of new restricted substances and then perform the assessment on the seven substances considered for inclusion.
The seven substances being considered are:
As an additional task to the assessment of the above substances, an evaluation of potential exemptions is being conducted.
To follow along with the project and to see relevant project documentation, please see http://rohs.exemptions.oeko.info/
As new substances are added to regulations, customers will need to determine their impact, both internally and upon the supply chain. Some stakeholders may begin inquiring about the presence and use of these substances within their supply chain immediately. In order to handle requests on emerging hazardous substances, you should be able to quickly request substance use information and check against existing data in a real-time environment. Green Data Exchange (GDX) will help you to respond to these requests today. By addressing any customer’s concerns over the use of emerging hazardous substances with fast and accurate responses, you can improve your own supplier performance score and obtain a competitive advantage over other suppliers.
In a review of recent history and new substance inclusion, Q Point notes that the process to include the 4 phthalates (the most recent change to RoHS) in Annex II began in 2012 and was not completed until June 2015, with an enforcement date of July 21, 2019. At this point, it is very likely that the Pack 15 substances are, at least, a couple of years away from enforcement. As new information is released, this blog will post relevant information and updates.
To learn more about solutions for material content restrictions, such as RoHS, please check out Green Data Exchange, GDX, at www.qpointtech.com
