RoHS, also known as Lead-Free, stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. RoHS, also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, originated in the European Union and restricts the use of six hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. All applicable products in the EU market after July 1, 2006 must pass RoHS compliance. RoHS impacts the entire electronics industry and many electrical products as well. This means all products must conform to strict standards, provide extensive compliance documentation, and ensure that electrical and  electronic products sold in the EU do not contain lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent  chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) above the legal threshold. Manufacturers, owners, retailers, and importers alike need to ensure that their products comply to be distributed and sold in the EU.

ROHS will reduce the need for special handling of electronic waste in the future, while WEEE will deal with both existing and future waste, diverting it from EU landfills and reducing the threat of soil and water contamination, as well as human exposure to toxic substances.

To obtain the certification, it is necessary to seek out a third-party company that provides test reports of the material, material declarations directly from the supplier and what is known as a Declarations of Conformity. It is all about testing the material, making sure its housing,  manufacturing and distributing is aligned with the set forward regulations of ROHS,

When working with these third-party organizations, they test the presence of different chemical compounds and components, including lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent  chromium, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polybrominated biphenyls.