ROHS CERTIFICATION (RESTRICTION OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE)

INTRODUCTION

ROHS(Restriction of Hazardous Substance) : Since the early 21st Century, electronic waste and chemicals use have become more common, like luminescence of radium or the low melting point of 60/40 lead-tin alloy. But about its harmful effects, no one was aware, how its unnecessary exposure was dangerous to human health as well as the environment. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have developed health problems such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. The use of hazardous substances gave birth to the Restriction of Hazardous Substance (RoHS) in February 2003 by European Union.

The RoHS directive took effect on 1 July 2006 and was required to be enforced and become law in each member state. RoHS restricted the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Their major motive behind this step is to reduce the use of harmful substances and reduce the environmental effect and health impacts of electronics.

RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances, which is also known as the Directive 2002/95/EC. It includes the restrictions for the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. RoHS is a WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment).

In India, demand for electronic products is increasing widely, due to which the environment and human health are in danger. Furthermore, rapidly evolving technologies encourage consumers to discard electronic devices quickly, resulting in an alarming increase in the amount of electronic trash. Keeping this in consideration all the harmful effects of electronic waste, The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and the Government of India implemented the Restriction of Hazardous Substance, which in India is known as Electronic waste.

Depending on the size of the Indian legal entity and the type of imported devices, you may be subject to WEEE or RoHS responsibilities if you produce or import electronic products in the Republic of India.

Substances prohibited under RoHS Certification

1. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
2. Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)
3. Hexavalent Chromium (CrVI)
4. Cadmium (Cd)
5. Mercury (Hg)
6. Lead (Pb)

Exempted Products under RoHS Certification

1. Military and National Defense products
2. Products that do not rely on electricity as their major source of energy
3. Products whose primary function does not necessitate the use of electricity
4. Sub-assembly or component of an exempted product category
5. Products that support micro, small, and medium-sized manufacturing and service firms, as defined by the Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises Development Act of 2006.
6. Batteries
7. Radioactive waste

PROCESS OF RoHS Certification

1. Documentation Review Evaluate and confirm the status of the documents, as well as the scope of testing that is required. Bills are reviewed, material declarations for each product and component are created, assembly drawings, conformance certifications, and test results are uploaded to the company's network, and a compliance file is created.


2. Verification: RoHS Certification process starts with the testing. To evaluate the values of the 10 prohibited RoHS chemicals, on-site or XRF testing and/or lab phthalate solvent extraction testing is done to confirm the level of substances whether it is present below the RoHS threshold or not.


3. End Product Analysis: After testing is done, the next step is the on-site inspection of all pertinent manufacturing processes for RoHS compliance. The auditing procedure entails a review of the goods in comparison to the control of forbidden substances, as well as a full factory inspection that includes quality management. Some auditing firms undertake annual follow-ups, which may include sampling in order to check compliance.


4. Grant of Licence : Once the audit completes successfully, a RoHS certificate (also known as Certificate of conformity or Declaration of Conformity) is issued.

Technical File Requirements

1. Product description, design, and structure information
2. Material, part, and subassembly risk assessments
3. Material, part, and subassembly conformity information
4. Records and documentation from the manufacturing process
5. Standards, specifications, and conformance procedures that are all in sync

Timeline

2 Weeks

Renewal

RoHS is valid for Five Years. Re-certification is required if a product undergoes various changes like design, raw-material, or sourcing procedures.