RoHS (China) Policy
On February 28, 2006, China published a new law entitled Administration on the Control of Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products (ACPEIP). ACPEIP is often referred to as the China RoHS because, as far as the prohibition of substances is concerned, it does indeed have similarities to the EU Directive for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances.
Unlike EU RoHS, China RoHS only affects products and components that appear in the published Electronic Information Products (EIP) list.
None of our products presently fall directly into the scope of the China RoHS legislation. Our Sensors are "out-of-scope" as most are sold B2B and some may be sold to distributors. In either case, when incorporating our sensors into a product that may be in scope, we can provide information on our sensors composition related to banned substances.
The ACPEIP regulates the dissemination on the Chinese market of Electronic Information Products (EIPs) that contain:
- Lead (Pb)
- Mercury (Hg)
- Cadmium (Cd)
- Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)
- Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs)
- Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)
up to thresholds defined in accordance with Industry Standard SJ/T 11363-2006. In principle, the maximum permitted thresholds line up with those published in the EU's RoHS Commission Decision (2005/618/EC). However, the ACPEIP legislation also includes a number of requirements that go beyond the RoHS Directive. The Chinese law, for example, requires that special labels and supplementary information be attached to affected equipment listed in the EIP's. By the end of 2007/early 2008, it will also make tests and certification compulsory for certain EIP's.
All EIP's that are manufactured in or imported to China fall under the jurisdiction of the ACPEIP. The labeling and supplementary information requirements concern every EIP. On the other hand, the prohibitions on certain substances and the need for certification prior to marketing concern only those EIP's that will be defined in a special Key Product Catalogue. The finalized rules and standards for the creation of this catalogue, and the implementation of certification, have not yet been published.
Time Frame: March 1, 2007: Covers labeling and supplementary information: Affects, with exceptions, every product defined as an EIP. Important note: EIP's that are intended for further processing do not have to be labeled. The relevant information must be made available by the supplier, however, firm dates have not yet been set for the prohibition of substances.
We recognize however, that some of our sensors will be used by our customers as parts in their systems where these systems need to be compliant. In order to provide the best service to this category of customer we are undertaking a large program to convert most of our sensors to compliance.