On May 28, 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in collaboration with seven other departments, issued the "Directory of Restricted Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products (2026 Edition)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Directory") and the accompanying "List of Exceptions for Restricted Substances in the Directory (2026 Edition)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Exception List"). The revision and release of the new "Directory" and "Exception List" will further advance the implementation of RoHS regulations in China, reduce the use of hazardous substances at the source, effectively safeguard the public's rights to green consumption, accelerate the optimization and upgrading of industrial structures, and continuously strengthen the green foundation for high-quality development in the electrical and electronic industry.
▶ The scope of control has significantly expanded
The new regulations will optimize and integrate the controlled products from the original 12 categories to 33 categories. The original products (such as refrigerators, televisions, etc.) have been optimized and integrated into 10 categories, and 23 new high-frequency daily use and emerging products have been added.
New Key Product Category:
Intelligent and emerging products: smart wristbands/watches, headphones, smart speakers, floor cleaning robots, electronic smart locks, servers and network switching devices, etc.
Daily household appliances: microwave ovens, rice cookers, water dispensers, projectors, portable power banks, etc.
Health and children's related products: electronic blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters, hearing aids, electric toys, reading and writing desk lamps, etc.
▶ Control substance expansion
The new regulations require that products included in the catalog, in addition to controlling lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, also include restrictions on four phthalates:
·Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP)
·Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)
·Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP)
·Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)
The content of the above 10 harmful substances must comply with the limit requirements of the mandatory national standard "Requirements for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products" (GB 26572-2025).
▶ Dynamic adjustment of exception list
The new version of the "Exception List" has been systematically updated, forming six categories with a total of 56 exception clauses.
Performance update: According to the requirements of international conventions such as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, 6 exemption clauses that are inconsistent with the convention have been deleted and 1 exemption clause has been updated.
New exemptions: Referring to the experience of EU RoHS and the actual process requirements of new products, some exemption clauses have been refined and added, such as specific exemptions for medical device repair parts.
▶ Implementation time&enterprise response
1. Immediate implementation (from May 28, 2026):
The original products in the 2018 catalog, such as refrigerators, air conditioners, televisions, mobile phones, etc., will immediately be subject to new regulations (note: the previous four phthalates have been included in the testing standards since January 1, 2026, and are officially listed as mandatory enforcement basis this time).
New version of the Exception List: Effective immediately.
2. Implemented from August 1, 2027:
New 23 categories of products: Provide a transition period of approximately 14 months, consistent with the effective date of the mandatory national standard GB 26572-2025
According to the new regulations, enterprises should conduct a comprehensive inspection of their products against the 33 class control list as soon as possible, and conduct investigations and testing of 10 hazardous substances (especially the newly added 4 types of ortho benzene substances) in the supply chain. At the same time, it is necessary to complete the qualification assessment conversion and update the product identification information during the transition period to ensure that the product is launched in compliance.
