RoHS
also: RoHS 3 · 2011/65/EU · restriction of hazardous substances
EU rules restricting ten hazardous substances, including lead, mercury and cadmium, in electrical and electronic equipment, per homogeneous material.
The RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU, with its substance list extended by Directive 2015/863) restricts lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB and PBDE flame retardants and four phthalates to 0.1% by weight, and cadmium to 0.01%, in each homogeneous material: each individual coating, plastic, solder or metal, not the product as a whole. Exemptions exist for specific applications and expire on set dates.
RoHS compliance is part of CE marking. Similar rules exist elsewhere, such as China RoHS, and many customers ask for RoHS declarations regardless of market.
Where it bites: compliance rests on supplier declarations for every part, including cables, labels and packaging inks, and one non-compliant component can make the whole product non-compliant.
Founder takeaway
Collect RoHS declarations for every BOM line, keep them in the technical file, and require them in supplier agreements.
sources
engineer review pending