2020 is ringing in a new decade of technological advancement. As governments focus more and more on environmental protection and the control of toxic chemicals, producers of electronic components and products will be facing an unprecedented expansion of substance control requirements.
In July 2019, the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, which is applicable to most electronic products imported or sold within the EU, expanded its substance control list from six substances to ten for most categories of electrical equipment. These four new substances are phthalates commonly found in electronic products, forcing many material and component providers to redesign their offerings. Similar RoHS regulations in China and UAE have also recently enacted expansions to requirements, both in scope and technical requirements. As such, regulations such as EU RoHS will become an ongoing validation exercise, as opposed to how many companies approach the issue today – as a one-time certification effort.
