Middle East Regulatory News

Saudi Arabia is the newest country to issue a Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulation, requiring relevant Saudi manufacturers and importers of electric and electronic equipment (EEEs) to...

Saudi Arabia is the newest country to issue a Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulation, requiring relevant Saudi manufacturers and importers of electric and electronic equipment (EEEs) to comply with this law from 5 January 2022. This regulation is published by the Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization (SASO). Various products on the market were discovered to contain dangerous substances which show a serious danger to the safety of the consumer and the environment. This implementation was set to begin on 9 July 2021 and postponed to 4 July 2022, due to industries from countries like the US and China expressing their concerns over the short timeline, which can be again extended till March 31, 2023, to affect manufacturers of different types of appliances.

RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. RoHS, also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, originated in the European Union and restricts the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products (known as EEE). All applicable products in the EU market after July 1, 2006, must pass RoHS compliance.

According to restrictions, the chemical restriction level is standardized of the following substances so, that every relevant product undergoes testing to make sure it does not go beyond chemical restriction levels.

Large-scale industrial stationary machinery, medical devices, military equipment, large-scale fixed installations, and aerospace equipment are exceptions to this regulation. Penalties, as well as the removal of a product from the market, is the step taken whenever a manufacturer fails to abide by the regulatory compliance.

Timeline updates to Compliance-

• Electrical household appliances:                4 July 2022
• Large electrical household appliances:     2 October 2022
• Telecommunication and IT equipment:   31 December 2022
• Lighting equipment:                                     31 March 2021

Manufacturers have to stay up-to-date on amendments and integration, as more equipment and appliances will be added in the future.

The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) published the Technical Regulation for Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (SASO RoHS) in 2021 to ...

The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) published the Technical Regulation for Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (SASO RoHS) in 2021 to take effect from July 4, 2022. The initial implementation date was January 5, 2022, which was later changed to July 4, when the implementation will now be done in stages.

Although several countries around the world raised concerns about SASO RoHS causing obstacles to trade, Saudi Arabia has set plans requiring conformity assessments under its regulation indicating that the assessments will help raise the quality level of their national industry and also enhance the safety of goods imported to the country. To this effect, the Saudi Arabian government published the assessment procedure guidelines and the documents required for submission by companies.

SASO RoHS is similar to the EU’s Directive on the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE).  However, unlike EU RoHS, it stipulates that both domestic manufacturers and importers need to obtain a certificate proving the conformity of their products with the regulation. The certificate must also be from an approved organisation. For suppliers to get certified, they have to provide a test report of the complete product. If not available or possible, they can provide a report for a minimum of three critical parts, which should be selected based on a risk assessment.

In the regulation, there are six categories of EEE that must meet their relevant requirements before they can enter and be placed in the Saudi market. The substances and their limits are:

The categories of EEE covered by the regulation have different enforcement dates that should be noted from now. For electrical home appliances (for small and large appliances), the enforcement date is July 4, 2022, and October 2, 2022, respectively. The regulation regarding Information and communication technology equipment will be enforced from December 31, 2022, and lighting equipment will be enforced from March 31, 2023. For electrical and electronic tools and equipment, enforcement of the regulation will start on June 29, 2023, and September 27, 2023, for games, entertainment devices, and sports equipment. Lastly, the directives for monitoring and control tools will be enforced from December 26, 2023.

Who will be affected?

The regulation, SASO RoHS, applies to manufacturers and importers of household appliances (both small and large), equipment for information communication technology and lighting, monitoring and control tools, and equipment for leisure, recreation, and sport.

Anyone who fails to comply is liable to fines, penalties, and the possibility of complete removal of such products from the market.

Who is exempted?

The exempted products are medical devices, military equipment, large-scale industrial stationary machinery, large-scale fixed installations, and aerospace equipment.