Brazil’s National Council for the Environment has recently enacted new regulations applicable to hazardous materials and chemicals used in electronic devices.
According to a posting on the website of the law firm Trench Rossi Watanabe, CONAMA Resolution No. 516/2026 established maximum permissible concentration limits for 10 hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, cables, and spare parts sold in Brazil. The regulated substances include lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and four different phthalates.
The new regulations provide a phased compliance schedule, with limits to PBB and PBDE taking immediate effect. Restrictions on mercury take effect in January 2027, while the compliance deadlines for the remaining restricted substances take effect over a three- to four-year span.
Resolution No. 516/2026 also calls for the creation of a National Registry of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Subject to Restrictions on Hazardous Substances. The Registry provides an online platform for manufacturers, importers, and distributors to register equipment covered under the new regulations.
