Many chemicals are used in the production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). These substances, including heavy metals, can cause serious damage to human health and the ecosystem when they mix with nature. When we consider that the use of EEE and consequently the amount of electronic waste has increased exponentially with the rapidly developing technology, we see that the dimensions of the danger increase even more.
Based on this danger, the European Union (EU) introduced two important regulations for the production of EEEs in 2003. These regulations, including the Restriction of the Use of Certain Harmful Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) and the Control of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE); In addition to limiting the use of harmful substances such as Mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) in the production of EEEs, it introduced the technical framework for environmentally friendly recycling of waste EEEs. Within the framework of the RoHS regulation, which has been revised twice, taking into account the technological developments in the process until today, manufacturers are required to declare their compliance with the specified conditions in order to put their products on the market. This declaration, also called the RoHS document, is a prerequisite for EEEs to be placed on the market in Europe and in our country.
ITS SCOPE AND EQUIVALENT IN OUR COUNTRY’S LEGISLATION
The RoHS directive was first transferred to our country’s legislation within the scope of the Regulation on the Limitation of the Use of Certain Harmful Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment dated 30 May 2008. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Control Regulation, which was issued in May 2012, combined the two regulations and canceled the previous regulation. The regulation in its current form;
-Large household items
-Small appliances
-IT and telecommunications equipment
-Consumer equipment
-Lighting equipment
-Electrical and Electronic tools
-Toys, entertainment and sports equipment
-Vending machines
-Medical devices
-Monitoring and control tools
It covers a large number of products from refrigerators to dialysis devices in a total of 10 different categories. It is possible to see the detailed list of these products in Annex 1/B of the Regulation. The Regulation, which sets out the technical conditions and product group-based targets for the recycling of waste EEEs in an environmentally compatible manner, also includes the limit values listed below for substances harmful to health used in production.:
-Mercury (Hg) – 0.1%
-Cadmium (Cd) – 0.01%
-Lead (Pb) – 0.1%
-Chromium (Cr) – 0.1%
-Polybromide Biphenyl (PBB) – 0.1%
-Polybromide Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) – 0.1%
Detailed information on the said limit values can be found in Annex 2 of the regulation.
HOW IS THE ROHS CERTIFICATE PREPARED? WHAT DOES IT CONTAIN?
Manufacturers need to prove that the content of their products complies with the limit values we have stated above in order to obtain the RoHS Certificate. For this purpose, the products sent to the laboratory are analyzed in accordance with the relevant TS EN 62321 standard and a technical file is prepared. In case the analysis results comply with the values stipulated in the Regulation, the RoHS certificate to be prepared should contain the following information:
-Statement that it has been manufactured in accordance with the Regulation on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Harmful Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment
-Manufacturer Name and Address
-Name and types of products
-Company contact information
-A reference to the test report
-Test standard
-Place and date declared
In this preparation process, we see the importance of getting help from competent institutions for necessary analyzes and technical files.