Every engineer strives to create functional designs with appropriate components. This goal also entails ensuring that the designs comply with relevant regulatory requirements, particularly regarding industrial waste. Environmental regulations are especially tricky to navigate due to their jumble of state, national, international and industry-specific rules. While it may be difficult to choose cables that comply with various environmental regulations, ignoring them is not an option. Adhering to environmental regulations indicates that your company or brand produces safe and sustainable products. Failure to maintain compliance can result in consequences that will affect the finished product’s access to local markets or industries.

When you select a wire and cable manufacturer that adheres to environmental standards, you’re engaging in a shared commitment to social responsibility while gaining the assurance that they will help you stay up to date with the latest certifications and directives. This blog post provides an overview of some of the most important regulations pertaining to cables and connectors that OEMs must address.

RoHS and REACH

If your product is intended for a European market, chances are these regulations will affect you.

The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive bans harmful substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP). It applies to any company that sells or distributes electronic products, sub-assemblies, components or cables to EU countries, either directly or indirectly.

Another European regulation, REACH, is closely related to RoHS but broader in scope. It protects both people and the environment from “substances of very high concern” (SVHC) in nearly all manner of products. Manufacturers, importers and downstream users have REACH obligations and must register substances with the ​​European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) for evaluation.

Other Rules to Protect Humans And The Environment

At SAB we also assist customers in satisfying other important environmental compliance rules and directives, such as:

  • Global Automotive Declarable Substance List (GADSL). This voluntary standard is a list of substances in automotive products — compiled by the industry — that are “expected to be present” in a vehicle throughout its lifecycle. We constantly communicate with our material suppliers about substances listed in GADSL, and we are always prepared to provide the relevant material declarations.

  • PFAS. This broad class of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” pollute the air and water tables. Not only do they take an extremely long time to break down, studies suggest they can impact human and animal health. Increasingly, local and international regulatory bodies are responding to the crisis.

  • POP. International agreements aim to reduce or finish the production, application and release of persistent organic pollutant (POP) substances that are known to bioaccumulate. These substances have been found in insulation, jacketing and flame retardants.

  • ELV. Vehicles at the end of their useful life cycle produce tons of waste, and the European Union has set out to address the issue. The Directive on End-of-Life Vehicles 2000/53/EC prohibits lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium in the manufacture of new vehicles.

  • CA Prop 65. The California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 stipulates that businesses must warn citizens if their products expose them to toxins, carcinogens or chemicals known to cause reproductive harm. The state’s list of known chemicals currently exceeds 900.

  • TSCA paragraph 6(h). The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate hazardous chemicals in various products, including wires and cables. In January 2021, the EPA prohibited the production, use and distribution of five PBP materials and such materials that contain these substances.

In addition to helping our customers confidently choose cables that are best suited to meet the latest environmental regulations, SAB supports the Responsible Minerals Initiative’s ongoing efforts to collect due diligence information on the ethical sourcing of materials in supply chains. These standardized, voluntary programs include the Conflict Materials Reporting Template (CMRT) for 3TG minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold) to meet SEC conflict mineral regulations, and the Extended Minerals Reporting Template (EMRT) which complements CMRT, focusing on raw materials other than 3TG – particularly cobalt and mica.

Compliant Wire and Cable Products Go a Long Way

When you purchase a cable that meets relevant environmental regulations, you go a long way to ensuring your product can be introduced into its pertinent market. With SAB, you gain the peace of mind that comes from knowing your cables have undergone extensive testing according to the standard as well as having the credibility and market trust that comes with environmental compliances.


To learn more about these regulations and SAB’s relation to them, please access our overview here.