More chemical updates this week, starting with the addition of a number of chemicals to the REACH Regulations’ Annex XVII , which lists restricted substances. Make sure you check if any of these additions will affect you.

Still confused about what changes RoHS2 will have on your business? Not to worry, we’ve received some insider news this week about the RoHS2 FAQ document and its release date.

With the arrival of RoHS2 and its incorporation into the wider CE mark directive, we see the demise of ad-hoc RoHS symbols and markings.

One important difference between the RoHS and WEEE recasts lies in the definition of electronic and electrical equipment, with confirmation that within WEEE2 the definition remains as before.

Following our post of a few weeks ago, ECHA has now launched their classification and labelling inventory, providing what they describe as a ‘a key milestone… towards transparency on the physical, health or environmental hazards of chemical substances’.

As always, please send any questions or comments to the legislation team at global.legislation@element14.com or post it as a reply to this blog.

Gary

Electronic and electrical products use some pretty hazardous substances. The effects of mercury were made famous in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland with the Mad Hatter, where long exposure to mercury used in ‘felting’ wool resulted in some quite terrible neurological disorders. It’s for this reason that we have legislation like RoHS and REACH to make sure the risk presented to us from these substances is as low as possible.

This week saw the submission of 13 substance dossiers to ECHA for adding to the Registry of Intentions. If approved, following a period of consultancy, they will be added to the Candidate List and will have certain safe use date obligations placed upon them.

ECHA are also planning on releasing a classification and labelling inventory from ECHA. This inventory will help in collection and available of information on substances within the EU.

This week has also witnessed various reaction from industry to WEEE2 after it was voted through by the European Parliament on the 19th January. Hewlett Packard have released a report looking into the effects (or lack of) of WEEE recycling profits on producer costs.

In addition, it has been confirmed that photovoltaic modules will now be included in the scope of WEEE under category four (Consumer Equipment and Photovoltaic Panels), with a huge 85% collection rate for all end-of-life modules.

If you have any questions or want further information on any issues related to legislation in the electronics industry, please email global.legislation@element14.com or use the comments box below.

Gary

Happy New Year! And what a year 2012 promises to be in the world of electronics legislation, with a number of announcements being made already.

The big news is that 19th January will see European Parliament voting on second reading of the WEEE recast. It’s been a long time coming and we wait to see what the final text will hold.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given an estimated delivery date of ‘January-June 2012’ to “adopt rules regarding disclosure related to ‘conflict minerals’”. As with the WEEE recast, conflict mineral guidelines have suffered from delays so we’re intrigued to see how things will pan out.

2012 will be the year of webinars and we’re kicking off things with a free event looking at 'How design engineers can meet the new global challenges of the RoHS Directive' next Monday (16th) at 9am GMT.

In this short webinar, I’ll be looking at key timelines; scope and definitions within RoHS2; CE Mark requirements; exemptions and exclusions (including the exclusion of research and development equipment); methodologies for reviewing future substance restrictions; the impact assessment and review of both scope and restricted substances planned within three years. Make sure you register for this free event here!

Next up, Trevor Wood, Farnell’s European Compliance Manager will be hosting a short webinar exploring export controls within the European Union on the 6th March at 2pm GMT.

The webinar will focus on the reasons behind having export controls; who makes the decisions behind the controls; which items are controlled and how as well as other key issues which you may not have already considered. You can register here.

As always, if you have any questions please post them below.

Gary

This week the element14 legislation team is pleased to say we have been asked by the UK Government to work with them on their upcoming RoHS and WEEE roadshows. Our knowledge and experience with the RoHS and WEEE directives will form part of the information feeding into these free workshops designed to provide clarity and advice on how RoHS 2 and WEEE 2 could affect your business. To find out more and how to register for an event in your area, click here.

The other big announcement this week is the likely addition of 20 new SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) to the REACH candidate list. The list also includes the first substance nominated for its endocrine (hormone gland) disrupting properties, 4-tert-Octylphenol (CAS 140-66-9).

We have some new sections on the element14 legislation portal, one of which is trade compliance. Our trade compliance expert, Trevor Wood, posted a blog this week about the introduction of new General Authorisations for Controlled Goods by the European Commission. These UGEAs will be effective from the 7th January 2012, so make sure you know if these changes will affect you.

Have you noticed our language buttons on the legislation portal? We are making a real effort to introduce our content in multiple languages and now have a range of e-books and articles available in 10 languages. Look out for the flags on every section!

Gary

Perhaps the biggest story of the week comes from the news that final agreement has still not been reached on WEEE 2. The WEEE 2 trialogue meeting between the European Parliament, European Commission and European Council held on Tuesday in Brussels, was hoped to result in significant agreements towards the development of a final text for waste electronics. But it seems this was not meant to be…

The other major recast of 2011, RoHS 2 was huge news this year. Bringing with it changes in scope, reporting obligations and a variety of important dates to remember, RoHS 2 needs careful consideration in order to make sure you’re compliant. As a starter, I’ve put together a 30 second guide to RoHS 2. More detailed information on aspects of the RoHS 2 Directive can be found on the RoHS page.

Looking forward to next year, the Eco Design Directive will be coming to the fore. A European Commission meeting scheduled for the 20th January will be consulting on the Eco-Design 2012-2014 working plan, as well as looking at new methodology to enhance competitiveness in industry.

In other news, ECHA have published new REACH ‘guidance in a nutshell’. The aim is to guide manufacturers and importers on recording and reporting the identity of substances within the REACH Regulations.

If you have any questions on the above, or about legislation affecting the electronics industry in general, please get in contact via

glegislation@premierfarnell.com or post your comments below.

Gary

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