The European Commission has requested the Öko-Institut to review the technical exemptions granted under the European Union (EU)’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive. These exemptions, including lead in Aluminium were originally set to expire this year, and are now open to public consultation until March 3, 2021. A full report complete with recommendations from Öko is to be submitted to the commission by the end of April 2021.
If a decision is made to expire the exemptions, companies will have a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 18 months from the decision date to comply. If a decision is made to extend exemptions, a new expiry date will be established.
The two RoHs exceptions applicable to Aluminium are
- Annex III, Exemption 6(b)/6(b)-I: for lead as an alloying element in aluminium containing up to 0.4 percent lead by weight, provided it stems from lead-bearing aluminium scrap recycling.
- Annex III, Exemption 6(b)-II: for lead as an alloying element in aluminium for machining purposes with a lead content up to 0.4 percent by weight.
