on green alert

摘要

It has been a little less than two years since China's administrative measures on the control of pollution caused by electronic information products (China RoHS) took effect. The changes introduced by the EU's original restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) legislation have been widely discussed. But has China RoHS brought about similar changes? Has the legislation been effective in its objectives and have China's requirements influenced other countries? The best way to analyse success is to begin with the original objectives of the Chinese regulators. These were to limit environmental contamination and to understand dangerous substances in electricalor electronic products for future enforcement. China's RoHS regulations work to achieve these objectives through a two-step process. The first step is the self-declaration of hazardous substance information in the electronic information product. The second step is to closely monitor the products listed in the catalogue - a list of products that will be required to meet the maximum concentration value of the hazardous substances - ensuring that hazardous substances are replaced or maintained within limits. The product can then pass obligatory Chinese certification to enter into the market.