Material compliance for TOPTICA is the recognition, observance, and implementation of all relevant laws as well as internal and external guidelines that restrict the use of substances in products. This includes adherence to limit values and compliance with exemptions. We closely monitor developments in the area of material compliance with support from our industry association SPECTARIS and external expert and implement any necessary changes promptly.
Doing things the right way. This is our responsibility for every material we use, from the first component to the finished product.
Dr. Mathias Schindler
Chief Operating Officer (COO) at TOPTICA
The most important regulations for TOPTICA
RoHS Directive
Directive 2011/65/EC and 2015/863 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment regulates the use of hazardous substances in appliances and components. The list currently includes 10 substances that may not be used, although there are exemptions for some special cases. The declaration of RoHS conformity, i.e. proof that the specified substances are not contained in the device, is part of the product’s CE declaration which is found in the product manual.
REACH Regulation
Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 is an EU chemicals regulation that came into force on June 1, 2007. REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals, i.e. the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals. The SVHC candidate list is updated on an ongoing basis. As a so-called downstream user, we inform customers if listed substances are contained in the delivered product in a concentration of more than 0.1 % by mass.
POP Regulation
POPs are organic substances with certain properties that can harm humans and the environment. They are regulated not only at EU level by the POP Regulation, but also worldwide by the Stockholm Convention. As we generally do not come into direct contact with the chemicals, the implementation of the POPs Regulation is only relevant in very specific individual cases.
Conflict Minerals 3TG
Both the European Union and the USA have issued regulations on conflict minerals, although the US regulation is more comprehensive.
EU Regulation 2017/82 only affects companies that import 3TG into the EU (upstream industry) and exceed a certain quantity limit; there are no requirements for further processing (downstream industry). This means that TOPTICA Photonics SE has no obligations under the EU regulation.
The USA has the most comprehensive regulation via the Dodd-Frank Act §1502. Only US-listed companies are directly affected by this regulation, but the requirements also extend indirectly to the downstream, global supply chain. As a German company we are not direct subject to the act and its regulations, which does not define a specific form of declaration. Nevertheless we have a high awareness of the German, European and international development of ethical, social and environmental standards.
