New Substances for RoHS 2.0 Directive Notified to WTO

The European Commission moved forward with its update of the List of Restricted Substances in the RoHS 2.0 Directive, Annex II. The Commission has notified the World Trade Organization that the four phthalate substances will be added to the RoHS 2.0 substance restrictions. The restrictions take effect beginning in July 22, 2019 for all EEE except category 8 (medical devices) and category 9 (monitoring and control instruments) which will have an additional 2 years and need to comply by July 22, 2021. This provides most EEE manufacturers and the global supply chain with four and a half years to prepare.

Phthalates are primarily used as plasticizers in plastics, particularly in PVC plastic which is commonly used for wires and cables but can also be found on some electronic components or other plastic parts. Total elimination of the use of phthalates from EEE products will be significant work for industry and the supply chain. Four phthalate substances （DEHP,BBP,DBP,DIBP）will be added to the RoHS substance restrictions (see table below). And HBCDD that the previous priority controlled substance will be deleted.