New ROHS Requirements announced by Saudi Arabia in 2022

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.