The international development of RoHS

This paper assesses some of the worldwide regulations and standards similar to, or referred to as Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances, or RoHS. An overview of RoHS, its history, evolution and worldwide expansion is given. Many jurisdictions outside of the European Union (EU) have similar regulations as the EU RoHS Directive. In 2016, there are over 70 jurisdictions, including countries, US states and a municipality with a RoHS type of regulation. Product scope, labeling, allowable exemptions, spare part usage and effective time frame vary. The impact of these requirements to ICT manufacturers is reviewed.