RoHS, WEEE and REACH
We are committed to continually improving our environmental product and maintain business practices within current UK and EU guidelines.
RoHS
A vast quantity of products are regulated to control and limit the levels of hazardous substances that they contain. This is implemented under 'The Restriction of Hazardous Substances' and the Electronic Equipment Directive ref. 2011/65/EU. This became part of UK law in early 2013.
The regulations apply to most electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and responsibility for compliance is shared by the manufacturer, importer or retailer placing the EEE on the UK market.
All components and subassemblies of EEE placed on the UK market must contain less than the maximum prescribed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium and two specified flame retardants.
RoHS compliance will be noted on each item page within the product specification or description. If this is unclear or missing, please contact us straight away so we can verify the RoHS compliance for you.
Government guidance to the RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU can be found here
WEEE Directive
The 'Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment' (WEEE) is a EU directive and regulation that became law in the UK on the 1st of January 2014 and replaced the previous 2006 regulations.
The primary aim of the scheme is to reduce the amount of 'end of life' electrical and electronics equipment going to landfill. The directive designates safe and responsible collection, recycling and recovery procedures for all types of electronic waste.
This legislation makes the producers of EEE products more responsible for the impact of these items on the environment. This is done by financing the collection and subsequent treatment, reuse, recovery, recycling and disposal of WEEE for items which they are obligated to do so. Products covered by the regulation will be labelled with a wheelie bin symbol crossed out in black. Please contact us if you wish for us to assist with the recycling or recovery of these products purchased and supplied by Switch Electronics Ltd. However the majority of our component products are not regulated by WEEE.
For the WEEE government guidance notes, please click here
REACH
The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of Chemicals (REACH); is a European Union regulation that came into force on the 1st June 2007.
The aim of reach is to provide a high level of protection to human health and the environment from the use of chemicals. This is done by making manufacturers and importers who place these chemicals on the market responsible for understanding and managing the risks associated with their usage.
Reach applies to substances manufactured or imported into the EU in quantities of 1 tonne or more per year. Generally, it applies to all individual chemical substances on their own, in preparations or in articles.
With regards to REACH; we do not import any substances in pure form and does not import products composed of these substances.