As part of the European Union’s (EU) Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and its Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, the EU Commission is reviewing its Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electronics (RoHS) Directive.
The directive attempts to restrict the use of 10 hazardous substances in Electronic and Electrical Equipment (EEE) to develop a cleaner material supply chain and mitigate worker and consumer exposures throughout Europe.
In its initial Impact Assessment Report, the EU Commission stated that the directive helped contribute to protecting the environment and human health. Yet despite its stated successes, the Commission is looking to revise the Directive to reduce the high administrative costs as well as the complexity of certain provisions within the law.
Specifically, the Commission is looking to address:
- The overly complex rules in the exemption provisions
- The issues associated with the application of criteria for exemption
- Deadlines and length of the exemption process
- Delays associated with the national transposition process in the EU, and
- The high administrative costs associated with the rule
The public consultation period is currently underway and is set to end on June 2 of this year. For more information, reach out to AEM Director of Global Standards and Compliance Jason Malcore at jmalcore@aem.org, or sign up to participate alongside AEM's Regulatory Compliance Steering Committee.
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