On January 31 2020, the United Kingdom withdrew itself from the European Union and entered a transition period, which lasted from February 1 to December 31, 2020. This is the so-called Brexit. The transition period allowed the United Kingdom to review certain regulations, including the CE marking, replaced with the UKCA one, applicable to several regulations including UK RoHS.
Additionally, Northern Ireland is also affected by the Brexit. RoHS compliance in Northern Ireland closely follows UK RoHS in terms of the scope, the exemptions and the restricted substances.
As a company centered on environmental solutions, Enviropass has years of experience helping customers across the globe, with various compliance regulations. If you are planning on entering the UK market or require assistance to comply with the latest United Kingdom RoHS regulation, Enviropass is here to help you test your electronic products against RoHS.
With your bill of materials (BOM), our team will be able to collect the compliance information from your suppliers in an efficient manner and provide a comprehensive compliance report.
You may contact Enviropass for all your requests.
According to Regulation No. 3032 – The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012, UK RoHS mainly impacts companies that introduce electrical and electronic equipment products to the United Kingdom market.
UK RoHS distinguishes itself from EU RoHS in one way: the product marking.
The CE marking, which stands for “Conformité Européenne” (European Conformity), represents an important symbol of compliance in Europe. Among many other regulations, CE includes compliance to EU RoHS. Since it does not refer to the UK RoHS, the CE marking becomes invalid in the United Kingdom.
Instead, the UKCA marking, which stands for ‘United Kingdom Conformity Assessed’, is used to show compliance to RoHS in the UK.
Considering the novelty of this regulation, the CE marking is tolerated in the United Kingdom until December 2024, after which the UKCA marking becomes mandatory. The initial deadline was January 1, 2022. However, the UK Government has delayed it several times.
If you are a manufacturer selling electric and electronic equipment (EEE) to the United Kingdom market, you must examine the substances in your product. You must particularly ensure the product does not surpass the concentration limit of the ten substances below at the level of the homogeneous materials (same as EU RoHS):
| Substance Name | Concentration Limit* |
| Lead (Pb) and lead compounds | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
| Cadmium (Cd) and cadmium compounds | < 0.01% or 100 ppm |
| Mercury (Hg) and mercury compounds | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
| Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+) and hexavalent chromium compounds | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
| Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
| Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
| Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) – CAS # 85-68-7 | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
| Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) – CAS # 84-74-2 | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
| Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) – CAS # 117-81-7 | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
| Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) – CAS # 84-69-5 | < 0.1% or 1000 ppm |
*Exemptions may apply.
As mentioned previously, the UKCA mark is required for the EEE sold in the United Kingdom, excluding out-of-scope products. However, before placing this mark on your product, it is important to complete the Declaration of Conformity and prove its compliance with RoHS technical documents.
With the Brexit, many regulations are being reviewed to fit the objectives of the United Kingdom. Considering the constant evolution in environmental matters, it is understandable that United Kingdom RoHS, similar to many other environmental regulations, will continue to grow over the years. Hence, it is possible that United Kingdom RoHS differs greatly from European RoHS one in the near future in terms of the restricted substances and/or the scope of the regulation.
Enviropass continues to monitor UK RoHS, as well as other product environmental requirements, worldwide.
Contact Enviropass for any questions!
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