Product Stewardship

Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) is a directive originally published by the European Union (EU) in 2002. It initially restricted the use of six hazardous materials in the components of electrical and electronic products. Today, this list has been expanded to include ten total restricted substances. We check all of our products to make sure they don’t contain these materials and, if they do, they are not sold into applications requiring RoHS. For electronic products, we affix the CE mark to demonstrate RoHS compliance.

Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is an EU regulation that establishes the collection and assessment procedures for information regarding chemical properties and hazards. This information is particularly important when considering the end of life for products (i.e., scrapping and recycling). For this reason, we provide REACH documentation upon request for any product containing Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) such as lead or carcinogens. We are also fully prepared to comply with the requirement that any product containing regulated substances must be registered in the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) database starting in 2021. 

By working closely with our network of trusted suppliers, we are able to obtain accurate information about the material(s) used for each product component. This knowledge allows us to determine and/or verify whether a complete product assembly complies with RoHS or REACH regulations. Once we’ve received and reviewed the Bill of Materials (BOM) containing the material information for the components of a specific product, we review the manufacturing process. If the materials and the process are compliant, then we issue a certificate of conformity. If the product is not compliant, we inform the customer and help them find an alternative that meets their application and compliance requirements.

The Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection Act, signed into law in 2010 by President Obama, addresses the international trade and use of Conflict Minerals. Similar legislation in the EU entered into force in 2021.  Conflict minerals refers to tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold (3TG) originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and surrounding countries currently affected by conflict that impacts their mining and extracting operations. Publicly traded companies must disclose the use of conflict minerals in their supply chain. For this reason, we ensure our suppliers provide us with reporting information that confirms their minerals are sourced in an ethical manner. This means operating mines that do not use child labor, have unsafe conditions, or rely on human trafficking.  

We ask all of our suppliers to submit a comprehensive CMRT by the end of each calendar year to confirm they are not dealing with conflict minerals. By analyzing the smelter data provided in the CMRT, we are able to formulate our own updated CRMT, which we have available to customers by the end of the first quarter of each following calendar year.

Ashcroft Inc. confirms the wetted components of the product(s) listed in this letter contain less than 0.25% Lead (Pb) in accordance with the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water addendum to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

Proposition 65 — officially referred to as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 — requires companies to inform California residents about potential exposure to chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive issues. If and when one of our products contains a Prop 65 listed substance, we ensure it has an appropriate warning label.