- Are RoHS and WEEE just UK Directives?
RoHS applies to all EU member states and must be implemented in the same way to prevent differences in interpretation across the member states. The WEEE Directive is not a single market Directive, it sets minimum criteria for the collection of waste that member states may exceed if they wish.
- Does JST manufacture and supply products that comply with the RoHS legislation?
JST continues to actively work with customers in the conversion or development of new products to be compliant with the RoHS legislation, and has established manufacturing lines to produce a number of compliant products. This manufacturing capacity will increase, as the market demand requires. Should you require further information regarding the availability of compliant products, then please contact our sales team, who will be more than happy to deal with and co-ordinate your enquiry.
- Does the Directive only refer to lead?
Lead is just one of several banned substances in the RoHS Directive. While the industry has adopted the terminology of "lead free", removing lead alone will not achieve RoHS compliance.
- Is the legislation global?
While the implementation deadlines form part of EU legislation, the need to comply globally will evolve gradually.
Japanese manufacturers’ have been reducing lead levels for 3 or 4 years and, in the USA, California has already passed legislation to fall approximately in line with the EU timescales.
- Under WEEE, what will be removed as part of the recycling process?
Producers will be required to provide information on components and materials used in their products to enable treatment facilities, re-use centres and recycling amenities to disassemble, re-use and recycle them.
Producers will also be required to provide information to treatment facilities to identify specific components and materials in the equipment that must be removed, including:
Capacitors containing polychlorinated biphenyls
Components containing mercury (e.g. switches, backlighting lamps)
Batteries
Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) in mobile phones
Brominated flame retardants (will be "banned" by RoHS Directive).
Cathode ray tubes (fluorescent coating must be removed)
Gas discharge lamps (mercury must be removed)
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
- What are the benefits of the RoHS Directive?
The extraction of these raw materials and their eventual disposal, can cause damage to both the environment in terms of pollution, as well as to human health from occupational exposure and exposure following disposal. The removal of these materials from production will reduce the health risks of exposure, particularly for children, the elderly and pregnant women.
- What are the substances?
Cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as well as lead (Pb).
- What is ELV?
The European Union (EU) Directive (2000/53/EC) on the End of Life Vehicles (ELV). This directive is aimed at increasing recycling content of vehicles manufactured and sold in the European Union (EU). This directive only applies to automotive vehicles and takes effect from 1st July 2003. In particular, the directive bans or limits the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium.
- What is exempt from RoHS?
Lead in the glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components and fluorescent tubes.
- Lead in certain steel, aluminium and copper alloys
- Lead in solders for servers, storage and array systems.
- Lead in certain high temperature solders
- Lead in solders for network infrastructure equipment
- Lead in electronic ceramic parts
- Mercury (in some lighting applications)
- Cadmium plating
- Hexavalent chromium (in absorption refrigerators)
- Arms, munitions and war material
Source DTI
- What is RoHS?
The European Union (EU) Directive (2002/95/EC) on the Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances. This bans the use of certain substances in electrical and electronic equipment products after July 2006.
- What is WEEE?
The European Union (EU) Directive (2002/96/EC) on the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Deals with the recovery, sorting and treatment of non-compliant products. The legislation is expected to be introduced by August 2004 with compliance a year later.
- What products are affected by WEEE, RoHS and ELV?
Large household appliances (eg. washing machines, electric ovens)
Small household appliances (eg. vacuum cleaners, toasters, irons)
IT and telecommunication equipment (eg. computers, telephones)
Consumer equipment (eg. televisions, video recorders, hi-fi equipment)
Lighting equipment (eg. fluorescent lamps, discharge lamps)
Electrical and electronic tools (eg. drills, lawnmowers)
Toys, leisure and sports equipment (eg. video games and consoles)
Medical equipment systems (eg. radiotherapy equipment) - WEEE only
Monitoring and control equipment (eg. thermostats) - WEEE only
Automatic dispensers (eg. drinks machines)
Electric light bulbs - RoHS only
Luminaries in households - RoHS only
- What will be required to ensure that your products will withstand the re-flow temperatures (250 ~260oC) associated with lead-free soldering.
Testing has shown that a number of the materials already used in our products will withstand the higher temperatures associated with lead-free soldering. However, some materials may not. Therefore, in these cases, the products will require testing in accordance with either customer or JST lead-free specifications.
- Where else I can find out information on the RoHS and WEEE directives?
For a general overview of the RoHS and WEEE directives and the associated issues, please see the FAQ list compiled by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) at; http://www.npl.co.uk/ei/news/faqs.html
- Who is affected by WEEE, RoHS and ELV?
Anyone that:
Imports (or exports) affected equipment into European Union (EU) member states.
Manufactures and sells electrical and electronic equipment within the specified categories.
Sells equipment produced by other suppliers under their own brand.
will be affected by both directives.
- Why do we need this Directive?
Each year in Europe, over 90% (6 million tonnes of waste) of electrical and electronic equipment goes into landfill sites, of which resulting emissions to the air constitute a risk to both health and the environment.
- Will lead free products be compatible with both new lead-free and current tin-lead soldering processes?
There are no common documented concerns with regards to using lead-free finished products with tin-lead solder. However, in the converse situation (i.e. lead containing components used with lead-free solder) there is a risk of joint and component failure.
