Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : Sub-file(A) to EIC 230/2/11

27 October 2005

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 438/2005

European Union (EU)* : Amendment to the Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 340/2005 of 24 August 2005, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Decision to exempt certain uses of DecaBDE and lead from the requirement of the Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Details are set out in Commission Decision 2005/717/EC (the Decision), a copy of which is attached (pdf format) to this circular for reference.

DETAILS

2. Commercial Information Circular No. 340/2005 informed the trade that from 1 July 2006, new EEE put on the market should not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls or polybrominated diphenyl ethers over certain prescribed levels. However, certain materials and components containing these hazardous substances can be exempted from the prohibition if the elimination or substitution of these substances is impracticable. In view of recent risk assessment results, the Commission has decided to extend the list of exemption to include DecaBDE in polymeric applications as well as lead in lead-bronze bearing shells and bushes.

ENQUIRIES

3. For enquiries about the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

 

(Miss Sandra SOU)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.