At Unex, we were among the first manufacturers in our sector to incorporate the requirements of the RoHS Directive into our raw materials and products. To understand the significance of this initiative, it is worth taking a closer look at what RoHS regulates and why it was introduced.
In our daily lives, we constantly use Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) — such as mobile phones, computers, household appliances, lamps, power tools, medical devices, and industrial machinery — which may contain substances that, if released into the environment or handled without the appropriate safeguards, could pose a risk to human health and the environment.
For this reason, the European Union (EU) adopted the RoHS Directive in 2002. RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances and restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment placed on the EU market, except in duly justified special cases. The Directive aims to minimise the adverse impacts associated with the manufacture, use, and end-of-life management of EEE by promoting the recycling of waste and improving its economic viability.
Furthermore, RoHS—which is complemented by Directive 2012/19/EU on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)—serves not only an environmental purpose, but also has an economic and market-related one. By establishing common rules across all Member States, it prevents differences in national legislation that could create barriers to trade and ensures a level playing field for manufacturers and importers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment throughout the European Union.
The RoHS Directive currently restricts the use of ten substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment:
The maximum concentration value is 0.1% by weight for all restricted substances, with the exception of cadmium, for which the maximum concentration value is 0.01% by weight.
The maximum concentration values apply to each homogeneous material, rather than to a specific product or component. A homogeneous material is one of uniform composition, or a combination of materials that cannot be further broken down or separated into different materials by mechanical means, such as unscrewing, cutting, crushing, or abrasive processes.
The scope of the RoHS Directive is broad. It applies to Electrical and Electronic Equipment, namely equipment that depends on electric currents or electromagnetic fields to operate properly, or equipment designed to generate, transfer, or measure such currents and fields, and which is intended for use with a rated voltage not exceeding 1,000 V AC or 1,500 V DC.
The Directive classifies these products into 11 categories:
Complying with the RoHS Directive requires companies to take appropriate measures during the product design stage, material selection, supplier management, and other related processes. Manufacturers must not only restrict the presence of the substances covered by the Directive, but also demonstrate, through appropriate documentation, that their products comply with the applicable legal requirements before being placed on the market. To do so, they assess their materials, components, and sub-assemblies, prepare the technical documentation, carry out internal production control, draw up the EU Declaration of Conformity, and affix the CE marking where applicable.
This documentation may include supplier declarations, material specifications, test reports, certificates, and evidence supporting the exemptions applied. Harmonised standard EN IEC 63000:2018 provides a recognised framework for the technical documentation required to demonstrate compliance.
In this regard, responsibility does not rest solely with manufacturers, but also extends to importers and distributors. Importers must ensure that products imported from outside the European Union meet the applicable requirements and are accompanied by the necessary documentation and the appropriate CE marking. Distributors, in turn, must exercise due diligence and must not place products on the market where there is reason to believe they do not comply with RoHS.
Cable management systems are passive products with no inherent electrical function. As such, they are not normally considered Electrical and Electronic Equipment and therefore fall outside the direct scope of the RoHS Directive.
However, they may be affected when they form part of Electrical and Electronic Equipment subject to the Directive, for example when they are installed inside a machine, distribution board, or electrical enclosure.
In such cases, the manufacturer of the final equipment may require all materials and components to be RoHS-compliant in order to declare the conformity of the finished product. Selecting RoHS-compliant products simplifies equipment validation, reduces the need for additional verification, and provides greater confidence in the technical documentation from the design stage onwards.
This is because a safe installation depends not only on the technical performance of each individual component, but also on the impact those components have on people's health and the environment.
In this respect, the RoHS Directive is only one part of our commitment to sustainability. At Unex, we work every day to help build a safer, more humane, and more sustainable world. As a result of these efforts, we were awarded the EcoVadis Bronze Medal in 2026, recognising our performance in areas such as environmental management, labour and human rights practices, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
Do you need to verify the compliance of a Unex product or select the right solution for your project?
Get in touch with our technical assistance team.