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

21 December 2012

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 1086/2012

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. 548/2011 of 14 September 2011, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted two Directives to exempt certain uses of lead and cadmium from the requirement of the Directive 2011/65/EU on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Details are set out in Commission Delegated Directives 2012/50/EU and 2012/51/EU and they can be accessed through the following links:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:348:0016:0017:EN:PDF
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:348:0018:0019:EN:PDF

DETAILS

2.Directive 2011/65/EU prohibits the use of lead and cadmium in electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market. Considering that it is not yet technically practicable to substitute lead in PZT based dielectric ceramic materials for capacitors and cadmium in photoresistors for analogue optocouplers applied in professional audio equipment, the use of lead and cadmium in those substances should therefore be exempted from the prohibition. However, in view that research on cadmium-free technology is in progress and substitutes could become available by the end of 2013, the exemption for the use of cadmium in those photoresistors would be limited in time. Thus, Annex III of Directive 2011/65/EU should be amended accordingly.

ENQUIRIES

3.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5556.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Anita WONG)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

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