EU Commission Launches Stakeholder Consultation on RoHS Exemptions

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The European Union (EU) Commission launched a four-week stakeholder consultation on DRAFT Delegated Directives for exemptions:

• 6(a) Lead as an alloying element in steel for machining purposes and in galvanized steel containing up to 0.35% lead by weight
• 6(b) Lead as an alloying element in aluminum containing up to 0.4% lead by weight
• 6(c) Copper alloy containing up to 4% lead by weight
• 7(a) Lead in high melting temperature type solders (i.e. lead-based alloys containing 85% by weight or more lead)
• 7(c)-I Electrical and electronic components containing lead in a glass or ceramic other than dielectric ceramic in capacitors, e.g. piezoelectronic devices, or in a glass or ceramic matrix compound
• 18(b) Lead as activator in the fluorescent power of discharge lamps containing phosphors
• 24 Lead in solders for the soldering to machined through hole discoidal and planar array ceramic multilayer capacitors
• 34 Lead in cermet-based trimmer potentiometer elements

The consultation closes on October 17, 2017.

IPC, in conjunction with an international industry stakeholder group, applied for more than a dozen exemption extension requests under the EU RoHS Directive. The RoHS2 Directive dictates expiration dates for all exemptions granted and several critical to the electronics manufacturing industry were set to expire by July 21, 2016. However, all exemptions for which industry submitted a renewal application will not expire until the EU Commission completes the current ongoing review of the applications.

Throughout the process, IPC and several member companies provided important technical information in order to ensure the extension requests are robust and scientifically sound. IPC reviewed all extension requests and provided important feedback that resulted in credible material submitted to the EU Commission.

IPC’s EHS Committee and RoHS Exemptions Task Force will review the draft delegated acts and develop a response to the stakeholder consultation. IPC member companies are also encouraged to comment directly to EU Commission through their website.