REACH · RoHS · WEEE · EU chemicals and electronics rules
REACH, RoHS and WEEE compliance consulting for products that meet EU rules.
Three EU laws shape what goes into products and what happens to electronics at end of life; Sterling's expert and experienced consultants build the supplier data, controls and records that show your products comply. We help our clients put it into practice and prove it.
- Fixed scope, one proposal: consulting, Effivity software, Sterling Academy access and internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, in one proposal
- A team of expert and experienced consultants, with product compliance and management systems consulting delivered across sectors and countries since 2003
- The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements. These are laws, not certification schemes; Sterling does not certify, and this page is not legal advice
8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries.
Sterling client experience
What it is
What are REACH, RoHS and WEEE?
REACH is Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006, concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals; it also established the European Chemicals Agency, ECHA. RoHS is Directive 2011/65/EU, which restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. WEEE is Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment, which the European Commission manages under its waste and recycling policy.
Together they cover chemicals in products, restricted substances in electronics, and the end-of-life handling of electronics. Obligations depend on your role, such as manufacturer, importer or distributor, and on the product.
Current status. All three laws remain in force and are amended over time; the European Parliament tracks a revision of the EU rules on hazardous substances in electronics. Check the consolidated text on EUR-Lex and national transposition before relying on any detail.
Who it is for
Who needs REACH, RoHS and WEEE compliance?
The obligations reach well beyond Europe, because they follow the product:
- Manufacturers and exporters selling into the EU. Products and components must meet the rules wherever they are made.
- EU importers and distributors. They ask suppliers for declarations and substance data they can rely on.
- Brands and retailers. Customer contracts often require REACH and RoHS declarations for every part number.
Compliance is a legal duty, not a badge; it is proved with data and records.
Requirements
What do REACH, RoHS and WEEE require?
At title level, each law deals with a different part of the product's life. Detailed obligations depend on your role and products, and this page is not legal advice.
- REACH: registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals, administered with ECHA
- RoHS: restriction of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
- WEEE: collection and treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment
- Supply chain data: what Sterling's work adds: supplier declarations and substance data for every part number
- Controls and records: what Sterling's work adds: change control and a technical file that stays current
What does useful REACH, RoHS and WEEE evidence look like?
A product and component list, supplier declarations with dates, substance data, test reports where you hold them, change records and your end-of-life arrangements. We keep them in Effivity so a customer or authority request is answered from current data.
Your engagement
What your REACH, RoHS and WEEE engagement includes
Your engagement turns legal texts into a working compliance programme, under one all-inclusive proposal.
Obligation mapping
Your role, products and markets mapped to the laws that apply, with owners.
Supplier data collection
Declarations and substance data requested, checked and filed by part number.
Effivity ISO & GRC software
Products, suppliers, declarations and changes in one workspace, included with the engagement at no additional cost.
Training for everyone
Awareness for design, purchasing and quality teams, and preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.
Controls and technical file
Change control, internal checks and a compliance file built for your products.
Monitoring
A process to track amendments and update data, carried on under Sustain™.
REACH, RoHS and WEEE are laws with no certificate. Compliance remains your organisation's responsibility; this is not legal advice. Where you want an audited system, Sterling can build the programme within ISO 14001 or IECQ QC 080000.
Often combined with
Standards organisations pair with REACH, RoHS and WEEE
- amfori BSCIamfori BSCI audit preparation for producers: gap assessment across the 13 performance areas, remediation, worker-facing evidence and support from Sterling.
- Better Cotton (BCI)Better Cotton (BCI) Chain of Custody certification for textile suppliers: stock and claim controls, reconciled records, training and audit readiness.
- BRCGS Packaging MaterialsBRCGS Packaging Materials certification explained: Issue 7, GFSI recognition, who asks for it and how Sterling prepares packaging sites for the audit.
- CE markingCE marking compliance support for manufacturers: EU rules, technical files, declaration of conformity and quality systems.
- EN 1090EN 1090 certification for steel and aluminium fabricators: factory production control, welding, execution records and support through the notified body's audit.
- EN 71 / ASTM F963EN 71 and ASTM F963 toy safety compliance for manufacturers: product and market mapping, material control, test planning and records that keep lots conforming.
Effivity · ISO and GRC software, included in every engagement
How Effivity helps you fulfil, automate and simplify your REACH, RoHS and WEEE obligations.
Every Sterling REACH, RoHS and WEEE engagement includes Effivity, the ISO and GRC automation platform built by the Sterling group and used in 50+ countries. Your consultant configures the workspace within the agreed scope, so products, components, supplier declarations, substance data, changes and actions live in one place, the system runs in daily work and a customer or authority reviews a live system rather than a binder. Sterling consulting clients get their Effivity subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost.
Scope, products and interested parties
Your products, part numbers, markets and the laws that apply to each are kept in one register, reviewed when products or rules change.
Policy, roles and objectives
The policy, the responsibilities and the objectives with their measures, owners and dates live where the people who own them work; progress is reported from the system, not from a separate spreadsheet.
Risks and opportunities
A risk and opportunity register with owners, actions and review dates; treatments tracked to closure and brought to management review automatically.
Competence, awareness and documented information
Training and competence records for every person, linked to Sterling Academy; documents with versions, approvals and distribution, so the current version is the only one in use.
Suppliers, declarations and substance data
Supplier declarations with expiry alerts, substance data by part number and change notifications, each linked to the products they affect.
Monitoring, internal audit and management review
Audit programmes, findings and follow-up; KPIs on live dashboards; a management review that records its inputs, decisions and actions.
Nonconformity, complaints and corrective action
Raised, investigated and closed with root cause and the evidence that the action worked; recurring issues visible to management before they become a finding.
Your own processes, forms and reports
Forms, fields, workflows and reports adapted to how you work, without code; legal and customer requirements tracked to the processes they affect.
What this means when a customer asks
A customer asks for a declaration covering fifty part numbers. In Effivity the supplier data behind each one is a screen with dates and owners, so the answer is current and traceable. Sustain™ keeps the data up to date as suppliers and rules change.
In your engagement
- Subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost
- Configured by your Sterling consultant within the agreed scope
- Your documents, records and registers migrated, not retyped
- Admin and user training for your team
- Modules for QMS, EMS, OHSMS, ISMS, FSMS and more when you integrate other standards
Sterling Academy · REACH, RoHS and WEEE e-learning
Train every employee on REACH, RoHS and WEEE, not just the compliance team.
Sterling Academy delivers e-learning for the whole workforce and for the people who run the system: video lessons with practice checkpoints, a final exam and a numbered Certificate of Completion for each learner, verifiable online. Sterling consulting clients benefit from preferential Sterling Academy course access and special pricing through their Sterling consultant, including complimentary awareness training for their people as part of the engagement.
- Product compliance awareness for design, purchasing and quality staff
- Practitioner learning for the people who manage supplier data
- Internal auditor training for the people who will audit the system, as applicable to your standard, as part of the engagement
- Learner progress by department and a training status report for management review
- New hires trained as they arrive, so evidence stays current
- A Sterling consultant reachable when a learner needs one
Keep exploring
Explore more about REACH, RoHS and WEEE
REACH, RoHS and WEEE resources
Services for REACH, RoHS and WEEE
Why Sterling
Want REACH, RoHS and WEEE compliance you can prove? Come to Sterling.
Whether you make one product line or thousands of parts, Sterling helps you build supplier data and controls with clear ownership, so declarations reflect what is really in your products.
Management systems in 60+ countries since 2003
Product compliance and management system work for manufacturers across every region we serve, with one engagement team accountable across every country you operate in.
All-inclusive proposal
Consulting, Effivity, training and Academy access in one proposal, with any laboratory testing identified separately. No surprises, ever.
A system your people can use
Less documentation and maximum effectiveness: documents, training and software connected to day-to-day operations, so your people adopt the system rather than tolerate it.
Expert and experienced consultants
Consultants who have built supplier and product compliance systems across sectors and countries since 2003, and who keep your data current.
The Sterling Promise
What the Sterling Promise means for your REACH, RoHS and WEEE programme
We stay with you until your agreed compliance programme is in place, supporting obligation mapping, supplier data and the first review cycle. Clear explanations, practical delivery, included software and employee learning turn the investment into lasting capability.
The engagement identifies the scope, outcome and responsibilities. Your organisation supplies accurate information and puts the agreed controls into use. Compliance remains your legal responsibility and authorities enforce the laws; our commitment concerns the agreed support, not legal advice or a guarantee of any authority's view.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about REACH, RoHS and WEEE
Is there a REACH or RoHS certificate?
No. REACH, RoHS and WEEE are EU laws, and compliance is shown through declarations, data and records. Some certificates offered in the market are test reports or private attestations, not a legal requirement.
Do REACH and RoHS apply to companies outside the EU?
Yes, in practice, when your products are placed on the EU market. Your EU importer or customer will ask you for the data needed to meet their obligations.
What is the difference between REACH and RoHS?
REACH covers chemicals across products generally. RoHS restricts certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment specifically.
Keep exploring
More on REACH, RoHS and WEEE and related standards
More in Consumer goods, textiles & packaging
Talk to a consultant
Plan your REACH, RoHS and WEEE compliance with confidence.
Tell us your goals, locations and target date. We’ll help you define the scope, timeline and next steps.
hello@sterling-grc.com+1 201 263 4443 (global headquarters) · your nearest office and its number are at the top of this page
What would you like to achieve?
Choose a starting point. The enquiry form takes about a minute.
Book my free discovery callContinue to the enquiry form to share your details. Please do not include passwords, sensitive personal information or confidential files. A Sterling consultant replies within one working day. Privacy notice