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Electronics

Digital Product Passport guidance for the electronics sector. Covering repairability scoring, WEEE recycling compliance, battery passport requirements, and ESPR data fields for consumer electronics.

Electronics: FCC vs. CE vs. UKCA Compared

Electronics is the product category with the most regulatory diversity across the three major Western markets. The US requires FCC and UL. The EU requires CE Marking under the EMC Directive, the Low Voltage Directive (or Radio Equipment Directive for wireless devices), and RoHS substance restrictions. The UK requires UKCA marking — which, for electronics, uses the same technical standards as the EU but requires separate conformity assessment and documentation. And an FCC test report is not valid for CE Marking. A CE Declaration of Conformity is not valid for UKCA.

This guide compares electronics compliance across the US, EU, and UK, and explains how to build multi-market compliance from a single test program and a single set of product data.

Not sure which EMC, safety, and substance regulations apply where? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Electronics and toggle between markets to see FCC, CE, and UKCA requirements side by side.

Electronics in the US: What Most Sellers Overlook

Starting an electronics brand costs more than most founders expect — and not because of manufacturing. It is the testing and certification. Every electronic product sold in the US requires FCC compliance as a matter of federal law. UL certification is commercially mandatory even where it is not legally required. And if you sell on Amazon, you need both plus a General Certificate of Conformity before your listing goes live.

This guide walks through launching an electronics product with the compliance planned and budgeted from the start.

On the Sustalium platform, the gap we see between electronics brands that launch on time and electronics brands that delay their launch by months is pre-compliance testing. The brands that send a prototype to the lab for a pre-scan before the formal FCC test identify emissions problems while they can still fix them at the PCB stage. The brands that go straight to formal testing discover the problem when the test report says "fail" — and they have already cut tooling.

Not sure which regulations apply to your electronics product? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Electronics and your target market, and see every framework from FCC and UL to e-waste and Prop 65.

US Compliance for Electronics: FCC, UL, Prop 65 & More

An electronic product sold in the US is subject to a minimum of four separate regulatory frameworks — and that is before counting state-level requirements, retailer demands, or packaging rules. The frameworks do not talk to each other. The FCC does not care about Prop 65. UL certification does not substitute for an FCC test report. And a CE Mark means nothing to US Customs.

This guide bundles every US compliance requirement that applies to electronic products into a single reference — so you can see what you need, how the pieces connect, and where the overlaps with EU requirements exist if you are selling into both markets.

EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542): Compliance Guide

The European Union has enacted the most comprehensive battery legislation in the world. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which entered into force in August 2023 and is now progressively applying its requirements, replaces the old Battery Directive (2006/66/EC) and fundamentally transforms how batteries are designed, manufactured, reported, and recycled.

This is not a narrow update. The new Battery Regulation introduces the world's first mandatory Battery Passport, imposes strict due diligence obligations on raw material sourcing, mandates carbon footprint declarations, sets binding recycled content targets, and significantly expands extended producer responsibility. If your product contains a battery — from the smallest consumer device to the largest industrial installation — these requirements affect you.

FCC Part 15 Guide: Testing & Certification

In July 2026, the FCC fined eight companies $25,000 each for failing to respond to inquiries about imported wireless devices. The same month, an FCC enforcement notice detailed how a modified handheld radio caused harmful interference to a county's 911 emergency communications channel. Non-compliance with Part 15 is not theoretical — the FCC investigates and fines regularly.

A company recently shipped 5,000 units of a smart home device to a US distributor. The shipment was held at customs because their FCC Supplier's Declaration of Conformity referenced the wrong test standard. That mistake cost them two weeks and $12,000 in storage fees.

FCC Part 15 is mandatory federal law enforced by the FCC, and it applies to virtually every product containing digital circuitry — from a simple microcontroller to the most advanced wireless device. We process FCC declarations for hundreds of electronics clients on the Sustalium platform, and the most common mistakes are almost always avoidable. Here is exactly what you need to know.

WEEE Compliance: E-Waste Producer Responsibility

If you sell electrical or electronic equipment in the European Union, your responsibilities do not end when the consumer opens the box. Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE — Directive 2012/19/EU), you remain legally responsible for the safe disposal and recycling of your products at the end of their life.

The WEEE Directive establishes the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). You — the manufacturer, importer, or distributor — bear the financial and operational burden of collecting, treating, recovering, and disposing of the electronic waste your products generate. This is not a voluntary sustainability program. It is a legally enforced obligation in every EU Member State.

How to Build a RoHS Compliance System

Manufacturing electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) involves complex global supply chains, often requiring thousands of individual components to build a single finished product. If just one of those components—down to the smallest resistor, capacitor, or plastic casing—contains a restricted hazardous substance above the legal threshold, your entire product is barred from entering the European Union.

This is the reality of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive (2011/65/EU), commonly referred to as RoHS 2 (and updated by RoHS 3). Ensuring that your products are compliant is not a one-time event; it requires a continuous, dynamic RoHS Compliance Management System (CMS).

In this guide, we will break down the exact technical steps required to build a system that satisfies market surveillance authorities and ensures uninterrupted market access.

Cybersecurity for Hardware & IoT SMEs: NIS2 & CRA

Building a great piece of hardware or an innovative IoT device used to be about functionality and design. Today, if your product connects to a network, it is a target. And governments are no longer politely asking you to secure it—they are legally demanding it.

With the enforcement of the EU NIS2 Directive and the rollout of the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), hardware manufacturers and software vendors are suddenly facing enterprise-grade security mandates.

Digital Product Passport for Electronics

The electronics industry faces some of the strictest Digital Product Passport requirements in the EU. With WEEE, RoHS, Battery Regulation, and Right to Repair all converging, electronics manufacturers need a comprehensive DPP strategy.

This guide covers everything electronics companies need to know about DPP compliance for smartphones, laptops, appliances, and ICT equipment.