Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and the Council on restricting the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic devices (the so-called RoHS directive) regulates certain conditions for bringing electrical and electronic devices into circulation.
It has the goal of banning certain hazardous substances from electrical and electronic devices. In order to do this, the RoHS directive restricts the use of certain substances in electrical and electronic devices. These include substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and chrome as well as some brominated flame retardants and plasticisers. The listed substances may only be used in electrical and electronic devices up to a designated maximum concentration value, unless exceptions are permitted in accordance with the annexes to the directive. Due to the associated removal of pollutants, the recycling of used electrical and electronic devices should be improved and the harmful effects on people and the environment reduced.
The consolidated version of the RoHS directive was implemented in national law in Germany with the Elektro- und Elektronikgeräte-Stoff-Verordnung [Electrical and electronic device substance ordinance] (ElektroStoffV).
