RoHS Regulations

Four primary environmental regulations- Europe/ Japan Regions

• ROHS EU (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
• Takes effect July 1, 2006
• Bans the use of certain materials, such as lead, mercury and cadmium in electronic products sold in Western Europe.

• WEEE Directive EU (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
  
  • Takes effect August 13, 2005
  • Requires that any company selling electronic products in Europe set up collection and recycling systems for these goods at end-of life.

• ELV EU (End of Life Vehicle)
• Effective March 3, 2005
• To prevent waste from end-of-life vehicles and promote the collection, re-use and recycling of their components to protect the environment.

• Home Electronics Recycle Law JPN
• Effective 1998
• Mandates the recovery of lead used in home electronics

• Additional laws modeled after RoHS are currently in progress in China and the United States (California and Maine).