SGS : Saudi Arabia Postpones the Implementation of SASO RoHS

The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) published the Technical Regulation for Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (SASO RoHS) which was scheduled to take effect on January 5, 2022. Now, implementation will be carried out in stages from July 4, 2022.

SAFEGUARDS | Electrical & ElectronicsNO. 007/22

The European Union's Directive 2002/95/EC (superseded by Directive 2011/65/EU) on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) (EU RoHS) has resulted in the globalization of 'RoHS'. Indeed, many countries, such as China, America, Japan, Korea, etc., have successively issued 'RoHS-like' regulations. The RoHS requirements in different countries vary, mainly in the categories of regulated EEEs, restricted substances, exemptions, and conformity assessment methods.

On July 9, 2021, the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) published a Technical Regulation for Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (SASO RoHS). Six categories of EEE under this regulation must meet relevant requirements before entering the Saudi Market. The restricted substances and limits are summarized in Table 1:

Restricted substance	Limit (wt%)
Lead (Pb)	0.1
Mercury (Hg)	0.1
Cadmium (Cd)	0.01
Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI))	0.1
Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)	0.1
Polybrominated biphenyls ethers (PBDE)	0.1

Table 1

The SASO RoHS also requires a conformity assessment. Any supplier responsible for placing electrical and electronic equipment on the Saudi market, must obtain a certificate of conformity issued by a notified body approved by SASO, in accordance with the Conformity Assessment Form (Type 1a) as per ISO/IEC 17067. The product must be accompanied by a technical file that includes supplier (manufacturer/importer) Declaration of Conformity, risk assessment document, the necessary warnings, cautions and manuals for the safe and proper use of the product.

This Technical Regulation was originally scheduled to take effect on January 5, 2022. However, with reference to the meeting of The Conformity Steering Committee No. (17-21) held on December 5, 2021, SASO decided to postpone the implementation of the SASO RoHS for six months, after which the implementation will be carried out in stages. Currently, the product scope and latest enforcement date under SASO RoHS are summarized in Table 2:

Categories of EEE Covered by the Regulation	Mandatory Enforcement Date
Electrical Home Appliances	Small Electrical Home Appliances	04/07/2022
Large Electrical Home Appliances	02/10/2022
Information and communication technology equipment	31/12/2022
Lighting equipment	31/03/2023
Electrical and electronic tools and equipment	29/06/2023
Games, entertainment devices, and sports equipment	27/09/2023
Monitoring and control tools.	26/12/2023

Table 2

SGS has been accredited with the certification qualification by SASO and can provide enterprises with one-stop services such as product testing, certification and customs clearance certificate. SGS can also help enterprises to ensure product compliance and enter the Saudi market smoothly.

SGS is committed to providing information about development in regulations for consumer products as complimentary services. Through a global network of laboratories, SGS provides a wide range of services including physical/mechanical testing, analytical testing and consultancy work for technical and non-technical parameters applicable to a comprehensive range of consumer products. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

For inquiries, please contact:

Ethan Zhang
Technical Supervisor, EET RSTS
t: +(86) 574 8776 7006 ext. 6007

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