Comings and goings of RoHS recast

Gary Nevison, Premier Farnell

UK: Progress towards agreement on the proposed RoHS recast has hit troubled waters and a first reading approval now seems unlikely.

Belgium, who holds the EU presidency, has proposed to abandon a list of priority substances which could potentially face restriction. This list includes many of the Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) on the REACH Candidate List as well as the likes of arsenic compounds, beryllium compounds and PVC.

The original proposal from the European Commission was to include just four SVHCs, but in June the European Parliament’s environment committee voted to expand the list to 37 substances. The latest Belgian proposal states that the original four substances (HBCDD, DEHP, BBP and DBP) should have their risks assessed in the future.

The Belgian proposal does not include a restriction on nanosilver, which had been voted for by MEPs, nor is there any labelling or safety data sheet obligations mentioned previously.

Finally, there is still disagreement over the start date for an “open scope” with Belgium now proposing 2019 (previously 2017) and the European Parliament environment committee wanting all electrical and electronic equipment, unless specifically excluded, covered by 2014.

Discussions are ongoing.