When importing from China, it is crucial to ensure that the Chinese manufacturing company we are negotiating with complies with the RoHS directive that applies to electronic components and equipment manufactured or imported within the European Union.
How do I get a RoHS compliant product and ensure that it is compliant?
In this article we will explain just that.
RoHS and RoHS 2
RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) is a directive that restricts the use of certain substances – heavy metals, in particular, in electronic equipment. The legislation aims to reduce the impact of toxic substances such as lead or mercury on both humans and the environment.
The substances concerned are the following:
– Lead (Pb)
– Mercury (Hg)
– Cadmium (Cd)
– Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)
– Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
– Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)
These substances are found in various materials and products such as solder alloys, PVC, paint, batteries and some metal components.
As of 2013, RoHS (now called RoHS 2, or Directive 2011/65/EU) is part of the EC regulation. This means that, as of 2013, a product that complies with CE regulations is automatically also compliant with RoHS 2.
Which products must comply with the RoHS directive?
Basically all electronic components and / or equipment made or imported within the European Union. Here is a list of some products:
– Household appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens
, etc.- Computers, tablets and mobile phones
– Consumer electronics such as LED screens, Blu Ray players, etc
.- Lighting, such as LED lamps-
Work tools such as drills or motorcycle-peaks
– Electronic toys and sports equipment (exercise bikes, for example)
– Vending machines
– Medical
equipment- Semiconductor devices (breathalyzers, for example)
Pretty much any object that has an electrical plug or needs batteries to work.
RoHS and CE Marking
All products that fall within the scope of the RoHS directive must also have the CE marking. That is, in addition to having to pass the certification texts, they must also have the following documentation:
– Declaration of Conformity
– Technical
File- User Manual
– Conformity
Labels Apart from the CE marking, products that fall under the RoHS directive must also have the WEEE marking.
Be careful because many Chinese suppliers usually do not make RoHS-compliant products, i.e. they do not make goods according to certain rules (for example, using solder alloys that do not contain lead, among other things).
Since such precautions are not required in most markets (e.g. in Russia, Southeast Asia or China itself), it makes no sense for most suppliers to comply with the RoHS directive (in fact, it is often necessary to use much more expensive materials, such as lead-free alloys).
Furthermore, even when exporting to Europe, there is no law that obliges Chinese suppliers to comply with European standards such as RoHS or, more generally, CE. The fact is not so strange: why should the Chinese be obliged to comply with regulations that are only in force within the European Union?
From a practical point of view, when introducing electrical or electronic equipment within the European Union, the responsibility for complying with European certification standards falls entirely on the importer, among other things, there is no “certified” supplier: it is the individual products that must comply with the standards.
This means that the same supplier can produce both RoHS-compliant goods (hair straighteners for example) and non-compliant goods (hair dryers, for example).
How do I make sure that the products I want to import are RoHS compliant?
When importing electronics from China, there are therefore only two possible options:
1) Select products that have already passed the RoHS
certification test In this case, the supplier will already have a certificate stating that a given product has previously passed the RoHS compliance test. Most suppliers have certificates for only a part of the products in stock (often a minority). This reduces the choice of products that can be purchased from a given supplier.
Also, keep in mind that this is a test of products made in the past. No one guarantees that the supplier will use the same materials and components for your products as the object that passed the compliance test.
2) Send a batch sample to a laboratory that performs the conformity test. Sending a batch sample, i.e. a sample made from the same materials and components with which all your goods will be made, to a laboratory that performs the conformity test is the only way to be sure that the goods will comply with the certification standards.
The problem is that because such a sample won’t be available until production is complete, you’ll probably have to pay the 30% deposit before the test can be performed, i.e. before you know if the sample will be compliant or not.
Although the failure of a test can turn into a disaster, if the negative outcome arrives before the final balance is paid, the supplier will probably agree to repair or re-manufacture the entire stock of goods already produced (under penalty of losing the final balance by 70%).
In addition, if a supplier already has several certificates covering products made in the past (see option 1), it is much more likely that they have the production capacity to produce a compliant product and thus pass the conformity test.
It is essential to test the product already assembled and not the individual components.
Need help importing products from China?
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Rely on ImportazioneFacile.it’s experts who will take care of checking all the documents and verifying that the products you want to import comply with CE certifications.
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