Why RoHS Certification Matters

Why RoHS Certification Matters

RoHS certification has worldwide momentum and is referenced across many harmonisation frameworks, but it carries particular weight in the European Union. Companies that manufacture electronic products, and products in adjacent categories, need to hold the RoHS directive in their reference materials and align their production processes to it. When they do, the restriction on hazardous substances takes effect and consumer trust in the manufacturer rises. Selling products whose restriction is mandatory in a form that does not harm anyone through manufacture or use is also part of the social responsibility of a business. The commercial return tends to follow.

Once RoHS came into force, several manufacturers in the Far East faced real difficulty on their exports. Some that did not export directly to European markets still saw a visible drop in their exports to other markets. The reason turned out to be that many products were not finished in the Far East alone; they were branded elsewhere and re-exported into European markets. Products manufactured without RoHS alignment fell out of favour as the route to market closed. Major wholesalers began asking for more responsibly produced goods. Manufacturers that understood the weight of RoHS moved to adapt to the global market, because there was no alternative route, and the certification became a growth requirement for the world market. After that period, manufacturers moved quickly to obtain RoHS certification, and those that had lost access to the European market gained their way back in.

As exports began to flow back into European markets, the pattern of trade and competition shifted. Major wholesalers and Far East manufacturers found themselves as partners in some cases and competitors in others, but the underlying truth was rising production. Safe products meant more consumption. The market was asking for more, and the whole supply chain that met that demand was running harder. Energy producers and raw material producers were carrying as much weight as the end manufacturers. Global trade picked up, and unemployment rates in the manufacturing regions eased. RoHS had shifted the direction of the world economy.

Sometimes a single statement is enough to change the direction of the world, and RoHS is an example of that. It did more than support the manufacture of safe products for a healthier life. It raised consumption and activity in the countries where the products were used, improved quality of life, and at the same time changed how life ran in the manufacturing regions. It shaped world trade and affected people's circumstances. As mentioned at the start, sometimes a single statement can influence the direction of the world. That statement might have been: I do not want to be poisoned by the electrical products I use.