Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS) on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE) on waste electrical and electronic equipment of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003
Both directives have been transposed into national German law by the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (Elektro- und Elektronikgerätegesetz / ElektroG) of 24 March 2005 governing the placing on the market, the taking back and the environmentally sound disposal of electrical and electronic equipment.
According to § 5 of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) the following maximum concentration values are permitted in homogeneous materials as from 1 July 2006
- 0.1 % by weight for lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium
- 0.01 % by weight for cadmium
Wieland meets these requirements for lead-free alloys.
Unaffected by the ElektroG the Annex of exemptions to the Directive 2002/95/EC remains applicable. With a lead content of maximum 3.5 %, lead-containing Wieland alloys meet the requirements of paragraph 6 of the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS) and of paragraph 3 of Annex II to Directive 2000/53/EC (ELV) concerning the exemption from the prohibition of lead as an alloying element in copper alloys containing up to 4 % lead by weight.
