Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC ( RoHS 1 ) is the abbreviation of the Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment . It was adopted by the European Union in February 2003.

English R estrictio the o f H azardous S ubstances Directive (Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances) consist of the first letters of the word.

The RoHS directive came into effect on July 1, 2006 and is required to come into effect and has become law in every member state. This directive (with exceptions) restricts the use of ten hazardous substances in the manufacture of various electronic and electrical equipment. It is closely linked to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) 2002/96/EC (now superseded<>), which sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electrical products and is part of a legislative initiative to address the problem of large volumes of toxic electronic waste.