A Look at China’s RoHS

The Chinese RoHS law is intended to limit the use of hazardous substances imbedded in products sold on the Chinese markets. The hazardous substances are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. As a top-level policy statement, this Chinese RoHS law outlines the scope of the control and implementation procedures. On the implementation date of March 1, businesses that make electronic information products are required to properly label their products according to the labeling regulation and provide a table of hazardous-substance contents in their user’s manuals according to the labeling standard (standard number: SJ/T 11364-2006).

Although the labels will be required on the implementation date, products are not yet required to pass mandatory testing. The Ministry of Information Industry  is still drafting its mandatory list of products. Once issued, the products on this list will be subject to testing by authorized Chinese testing laboratories according to the official Testing Method Standard  (#SJ/T 11365-2006) and evaluated based on the Limitation Standard (#SJ/T 11363-2006).

In essence, this policy is fostering an environment-friendly atmosphere in China, through forcing companies to adopt a mindset of environmental protection in the design and manufacture of products, while promoting consumer awareness by the prominently displayed RoHS symbols on products. The joint force by various ministries also signifies the Chinese government’s determination to enforce such regulations on all business fronts.

Under this law, importers and marketers should manage their procurement sources and refuse to import and sell noncompliant products. Failure to comply with this regulation could result in penalties for manufacturers, importers and marketers. All ministries cosigned this regulation will participate in the enforcement within their jurisdictions.