100% of Airlines Tested Failed to Meet RoHS Standards for Earbuds
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APEX Insight: Airline earbuds could be posing health risks for passengers, according to Buzz Products.
According to research conducted by Buzz Products in late 2017, seven out of seven airlines tested were found to supply earbuds that do not meet RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) standards. While the airlines, which were based in the Americas, Asia/Australasia and the Middle East, were notified of the results, according to Jessica Paine, testing and compliance specialist at Buzz Products, there needs to be more awareness of this issue to ensure compliance is a priority.
The RoHS directive limits the use of certain toxic materials in products such as headphones. These materials are potentially dangerous for the workers who are producing them, the end users (e.g. airline passengers) and the environment. APEX Media spoke with Paine about Buzz’s commitment to only supply earbuds that are RoHS-compliant and to educate the airlines, suppliers and consumers about this issue.
What is RoHS?
RoHS stands for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances. It’s a global directive that limits the use of specific hazardous materials that can be found in a variety of products, including electrical and electronic products. These hazardous materials, including lead, mercury and cadmium are known to be toxic and can cause heavy metal poisoning.
How has complying to RoHS standards affected Buzz Products in terms of workflow? What kinds of changes had to be made?
Buzz only supplies earbuds that are RoHS-compliant, regardless of whether the airline requests it or not. As such, there has been no need to make any changes. At Buzz we take our corporate social responsibility seriously and always seek to find ways to reduce our environmental and social impact.
According to Buzz Products’ third-party testing of earbud samples, 7/7 global airlines included in the sample failed RoHS testing. Why is this?
We are not sure what the reason is and can only guess that is simply a case of lack of awareness. RoHS compliance requires a sophisticated supply chain system and not all suppliers may be able to deliver to this level. It seems that there is no overall guidelines enforcing airline compliance, but they should still be following the RoHS testing requirements for their region.
Airlines should include RoHS in their requirements upfront as is done with other compliance issues.
What steps can airlines or manufacturers take in order to determine if they are RoHS-compliant?
Airlines should ask their supplier for the RoHS compliance status for their earbuds and request a copy of their RoHS certificate. Airlines should also check their region’s testing requirements for electrical consumer products and request that their suppliers meet this standard and continue to maintain compliance. For example, if they are based in Europe they should be ensuring they meet CE and RoHS standards, given it is an EU directive. RoHS is a CE marking directive, so the CE marking on the product indicates that it complies with all applicable CE marking directives.
What steps can an airline or manufacturer take in order to become RoHS-compliant?
RoHS compliance needs to be a priority. Airlines should include RoHS in their requirements upfront as is done with other compliance issues. Suppliers should only be providing RoHS-approved products. Regular monitoring and testing throughout the supply contract to ensure ongoing compliance is necessary as well.