What is RoHS Compliance, and how does it affect me?

RoHS (pronounced “rows” or “row-hoss”) is an acronym for Restriction on the use of Certain Hazardous Substances. The term RoHS is most commonly used to refer to the European Union’s (EU) RoHS Directive. The objective of the EU RoHS directive is to restrict the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. This reduction is intended to both reduce the amount of hazardous substances in landfills resulting from the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment and to minimize the health and environmental impact of recycling electrical and electronic equipment. RoHS Compliance is mandatory for PDU products sold in Europe, and is becoming increasingly more important for PDU products sold in the United States. For example, California has already passed Proposition 65, a RoHS-like law requiring certain electrical and electronic equipment to comply with the requirements established by the EU RoHS Directive.