WEEE/RoHS

Q.

Who is affected?

A.

Anyone who manufactures, sells, or provides electrical and electronic equipment for EU use. A “Producer” means any person who: (i) manufactures and sells electrical and electronic equipment under his own brand; (ii) resells under his own brand equipment produced by other suppliers, a reseller not being regarded as the “producer” if the brand of the producer appears on the equipment; or (iii) imports or exports electrical and electronic equipment on a professional basis into a Member State. A “Distributor” means any person who provides electrical or electronic equipment on a commercial basis to the party who is going to use it. The person responsible for the different WEEE obligations depends on the law enacted in each Member State to comply with the WEEE Directive, and whether such law places WEEE obligations on the manufacturer, reseller, importer, distributor, or other.

Q.

How does Harmonic know for which products in the EU it has “take-back” obligations?

A.

In accordance with the WEEE Directive, Harmonic places a “crossed-out wheeled bin” symbol on its products that are shipped into the EU.

Q.

How can a Harmonic EU customer contact Harmonic to request “take-back” of WEEE?

A.

An EU customer can complete a request form on Harmonic’s website, or can contact Harmonic through its technical support services department via telephone or RMA (Return Materials Authorization).

Q.

What is RoHS?

A.

It is an acronym for the “Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances” in EEE (European Directive 2002/95/EC, as amended) that restricts the use of six substances which exceed certain levels in electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market after 1st July 2006. RoHS is a "single market" directive that aims to approximate the laws of the Member States on the restrictions of the use of hazardous substances in EEE, and to contribute to the protection of human health and the environmentally sound recovery and disposal of WEEE, and therefore, the RoHS Directive applies uniformly to the EU Market.

Q.

What are the six banned substances?

A.

Cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as well as lead (Pb).

Q.

Are there any exceptions?

A.

Yes. Some of the specified exemptions in the Directive are: Tin-lead solder alloys containing more than 85% lead, lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems, lead in solders for network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling, transmission, as well as network management for telecommunications, and lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic devices). Also, the RoHS Directive does not apply to spare parts for the repair, or to the reuse, of EEE put on the market before 1 July 2006. Monitoring and Control instruments are also out of the scope of the Directive.

Q.

What category of EEE applies to Harmonic products?

A.

IT and telecommunications equipment.

Q.

What is the basis of Harmonic’s compliance statement?

A.

Harmonic bases its knowledge and belief of the material content of its products on information supplied by third parties. In an effort towards compliance with the RoHS Directive, Harmonic’s environmental compliance process includes asking its third party suppliers to complete a declaration concerning compliance with the RoHS Directive. Harmonic’s success in obtaining full and accurate information may be limited as a result of some third parties treating certain material as exempt or certain information as confidential and proprietary, or as a result of third party suppliers confining their statements concerning RoHS compliance to the best of their knowledge and belief, applicable only as of a certain date, or as not including component supplier information.

The following is a sampling of the exemptions that apply to certain Harmonic products: lead in solders for network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling, transmission; lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems; lead in glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components, and fluorescent tubes; lead as an alloying element in steel containing up to 0,35 % lead by weight, aluminum containing up to 0,4 % lead by weight, and as a copper alloy containing up to 4 % lead by weight; lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic devices); and monitoring and control instruments. According to the RoHS Directive, Harmonic can provide spare parts for the repair, or to the reuse, of EEE put on the market before 1 July 2006.