scope:

The total number of substances that are under some type of regulation or are expected to be regulated in the near future is many and varied. They may be geography/region specific, industry specific or application/use specific. Given that this guide is intended for electrotechnical products and under IEC governance, it is logical that the substances and substance groups listed in the IEC 62474 (Material Declaration for Products of and for the Electrotechnical Industry)1 database be the primary source of candidate substances. The substances listed in the database are grouped into 3 categories with brief descriptions given below: - IEC Criteria 1 - "currently regulated" or "explicitly included within an existing national law or regulation in an IEC member country". The law or regulation is applicable to electrotechnical products and goes into force at a specific date. - IEC Criteria 2 - "for assessment" or substance or substance group that meets criteria 1 with the exception that the law or regulation does not cite a specific effective date for the requirements. - IEC Criteria 3 - "for information only" or does not meet requirement for either criteria 1 or 2. However, "there is a recognized industry-wide common market requirement for reporting this substance or substance group in electrotechnical products". In addition to those substances that are under regulatory scrutiny, market requirements may also be of major consideration for the development of IEC test method standards. There are several very important influences that may dictate the ability of a product to enter or be introduced into the marketplace. Examples of market driven requirements may include EPEAT (Electronic Product Environment Assessment Tool), Low Halogen initiative set by the electronics industry, Energy Star for energy efficient products and others. Although there are no legal obligations that electrotechnical equipment meet the requirements set forth in these initiatives, failure to do so may put the supplier at a severe competitive disadvantage. In many cases,the supplier's product may be disqualified for purchasing consideration for 56 failure to meet these requirements. Note: Criterion/criteria is used in this document to denote a rule/principle for evaluating a substance against a set of requirements. The use of the term IEC Criteria is specific to the regulatory status of a particular substance as defined in the IEC 62474 standard.