Over the past year the ban of certain hazardous materials in electrical and electronic products gained a global dimension. After the RoHS coming into force in the EU, similar directives were discussed and adopted in several other countries worldwide. In all those RoHS-like regulations the same set of substances are prohibited. But the problem derives from the fact that all the new regulations differ in their product scopes, the ways of implementation and control. These national differences complicate the global trade and the communication in the international supply chains. First steps to harmonize the various regulations are made and discussed in the paper.
