First compliance management catalogue (first batch) of China RoHS 2 kick in starting March 15 2019. It covers 12 categories of products with five categories of home appliances included which are refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, water heaters and TVs. The catalogue and a list of exempted applications of restricted hazardous substances of China RoHS 2.0 were announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China on March 12, 2018.
The Management Methods for the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products (hereinafter referred to as the Methods), called as China RoHS by industry insiders, was jointly issued by MIIT, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Science and Technology (MST), Ministry of Finance (MF), Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), Ministry of Commerce (MC), General Administration of Customs (GAC) and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) on January 6 2016, with the effective date of July 1, 2016.
Listed products in the catalogue shall meet the requirements for restricted use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products (EEPs) including lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE as regulated, and shall be managed in accordance with the conformity assessment system for restricted use of hazardous substances in EEPs. The exempted applications do not need to follow the current restrictions.
Listed products shall comply with the requirements of the Methods when they’re sold as individual products on the market for uncertain uses, but do not need to comply when they’re used as parts of non-listed products. For example, monitors, within the scope of the catalogue, do not need to follow the restrictions when used as parts of medical equipment.
China RoHS differs from EU RoHS in scope and management methods. Listed products shall meet the requirements for the concentration limits of restricted substances and carry an “E” mark, while non-listed products only need to specify the names and contents of restricted substances on labels, according to China RoHS. EU RoHS requires all EEPs (exemptions excluded) meet the concentration limits set by RoHS 2.0 and manages the process by asking for a declaration of conformity.
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