If you frequently purchase Chinese fast chargers and charging cables via overseas shopping, or engage in cross-border e-commerce to sell charging products to the Chinese market, you will most likely see two strange marks on the product, packaging, or instruction manual: one is a green lowercase letter “e” with an arc around it, and the other is a circle formed by two arrows with the number 5 or 10 printed in the middle. Many people mistake it for a quality certification, or confuse it with the EU RoHS directive—in fact, this is the mandatory electronic product pollution control information marking required by the Chinese market, commonly known as the China RoHS mark, whose core is the disclosure of environmental protection information.
First, get clear: what this mark is, and which products it regulates
First of all, the most core positioning must be clarified: this is a **mandatory environmental protection information mark** required by the Chinese market, and does not fall into the category of quality or safety certification. It has two core functions: first, to inform whether the restricted hazardous substances in the product exceed the limit; second, to indicate the number of years during which the hazardous substances in the product will not leak and cause pollution under normal use conditions. It belongs to environmental protection and recycling requirements, and has no direct relation to whether the product is durable or will cause electric shock.
Which charging products need to have this mark? As long as they are electrical and electronic products sold within the territory of China with a rated DC voltage ≤ 1500V and AC voltage ≤ 1000V, they are basically within the scope of control. Common chargers, fast charging heads, charging cables, and adapters for mobile phones and computer peripherals usually fall within this voltage range; when enterprises make compliance judgments, they should still check the rated voltage on the nameplate, whether the product relies on electric current/electromagnetic fields to work, and whether it is sold within the territory of China.
The specific covered categories include: chargers/power adapters, charging cables/adapters, high-power cables with E-Marker chips, and small accessories with charging ports (such as mini power strips with USB ports, wireless charging bases, etc.). Whether they are domestic or imported, whether they are separately sold accessories, or set gifts given when buying mobile phones or computers, they must comply with this requirement.
Of course, there are exceptions: purely mechanical plugs (such as conversion plugs with only copper sheets and plastic and no electronic components), products that are only exported and not sold within the territory of China, and independent batteries (batteries have special environmental protection regulations) are not within the scope of control of this mark.
For overseas users, understanding this mark has two practical uses: if you are an ordinary consumer, when purchasing Chinese charging products via overseas shopping, you can understand the environmental risk of the product and know how to properly dispose of it when it is old; if you are a cross-border seller or purchaser, this mark is one of the access thresholds for the Chinese market, and non-compliant products cannot be put on the shelves and may face penalties.
How to identify the three types of core marks
First of all, it should be noted that not all products will have all three marks at the same time; instead, one of the two is selected according to the compliance status of the product’s hazardous substances: if all restricted substances in the product meet the national limit requirements, the “green e mark” is used; if there are excessive restricted substances, the “environmental protection use period mark” is used. But no matter which one is used, it must be accompanied by a “hazardous substance content table” that details the compliance status of each component.
Green e Mark
The first is the green e mark, which is a green lowercase letter “e” surrounded by an arc. Its meaning is very simple: all restricted substances in the product meet the national limit standards, and the pollution risk is very low. This mark is commonly found in charging accessories with simple materials and low risk, such as ordinary plastic adapters without complex circuit boards.
Environmental Friendly Use Period (EFUP)
The second is the most common “environmental protection use period”, also called EFUP or environmental protection safe service life. Its style is two arrows connected end to end to form a closed ring, and the number in the middle is the specific number of years, such as 5 years or 10 years.
The meaning of this number is: under normal use and normal storage conditions, the number of years during which hazardous substances in the product will not leak and cause pollution. Common values for charging products are: chargers and power adapters are usually marked with 10 years, and charging cables and mini adapters are usually marked with 5 years—but this is only the general situation, and the specific number must be subject to the number marked on the product.
Its starting time is the production date of the product. You can find the production date or production batch number on the product nameplate, packaging, or instruction manual to calculate.
Two common misunderstandings must be specially corrected here: first, **the environmental protection use period is not equal to the manufacturer’s warranty period**. The warranty period is the free repair period promised by the manufacturer, which has nothing to do with the environmental protection period; second, **it is not a mandatory scrap period**, which means that it does not have to be thrown away and cannot be used when the period expires.
Also note that this period is declared by the manufacturing enterprise itself, not assessed by national testing. Therefore, a larger number does not mean better product quality, but only the enterprise’s judgment on the material stability of its own products.
Hazardous Substance Content Table
The third is the supporting “hazardous substance content table”, which is generally printed in the instruction manual or packaging. Many people do not deliberately read it, but it is the most detailed part of the mark.
You don’t need to memorize complex chemical names, you can quickly judge by just looking at two symbols: a circle (○) means that all homogeneous materials of this component meet the restriction requirements; a cross (×) means that at least one homogeneous material in this component has restricted substances exceeding the national standard.
Here is an explanation of “homogeneous material”: it is a material that cannot be further disassembled into finer parts by mechanical methods such as screwdrivers and scissors, and has uniform composition from beginning to end. For example, a whole plastic shell and a copper pin are all homogeneous materials. The limit requirement is for each homogeneous material, not the average content of the entire product—this is very important, don’t mistake it for the proportion of hazardous substances in the entire product.
Currently, China requires the control of 6 types of restricted substances, and the general limits are as follows:
| Restricted Substance Category | Maximum Allowable Content in Homogeneous Materials |
| Lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers | ≤0.1% (1000ppm) |
| Cadmium | ≤0.01% (100ppm) |
The number of this limit standard is GB/T 26572. Introductory readers do not need to memorize the number, just know that there is this rule.
For charging products, there are four common involved components: shell, circuit board/solder joint, pin/USB interface, cable assembly. Among them, there are two most common situations where × appears: first, lead in the solder of the circuit board, and second, PBB/PBDE brominated flame retardants in the plastic shell—note that only these two types of brominated flame retardants are counted, and other types of flame retardants are not within the scope of control.
Finally, a reminder: this table only discloses the 6 types of substances required to be controlled. The fact that other substances are not listed does not mean that the product does not contain other hazardous substances at all, but only that these 6 types are mandatory to be disclosed.
Where should the mark be affixed? How to judge the compliant position
Now that you know what the mark looks like, you will definitely ask next: where should these marks be affixed? Is it compliant to print them on the packaging? Let’s look at the standard requirements of China.
First is the general principle: the mark should preferably be marked on the product body, and it must be clear, legible, wear-resistant, and not easy to fall off under normal use. If the product itself is too small, has a special shape, or printing on the body will affect safety (such as damaging the insulation layer), it can be moved to the minimum sales packaging, instruction manual, or qualification certificate.
Many products now use QR codes or electronic instruction manuals to display information, but note that: QR codes can only be used as a supplement, and cannot completely replace the paper accompanying information. Moreover, the QR code must be accessible for a long time, and cannot be unscannable a few months after purchase.
The requirements for marking positions are also different for charging products of different sizes:
• For large-volume products, such as chargers and power adapters, the mark should preferably be printed on the body, and common positions are the back of the shell, the side, the side where the pins are located, or near the nameplate.
• For small-volume or slender products, such as charging cables and mini adapters, if the body is too small to print the mark, it can be directly printed on the packaging, instruction manual, or accompanying documents, and there is no mandatory requirement to print a simplified version of the mark on the body. If a QR code is used for display, the content of the information that can be obtained by scanning the code must be clearly stated on the packaging or instruction manual.
• If it is a set product, such as a combination of a charging head, a charging cable, and an adapter, it must cover all electronic accessories. You cannot only mark the charging head and omit the cable and adapter. The accessories in the set can have a unified hazardous substance table listing the situation by component, or each accessory can be marked separately. If the accessories in the set will be disassembled and sold separately later, each individual product must have independent marking information.
There are two compliance red lines that cannot be touched, especially for cross-border sellers: first, **there must be a Chinese mark**. It is non-compliant to only print “RoHS compliant” in English on the product; second, **the display on the e-commerce page cannot replace the marking obligation accompanying the product**. Even if you put a picture of the mark on the detail page, the product itself, packaging, or instruction manual must have physical marking information.
The regulatory logic behind it: what is the difference from EU RoHS
Many overseas users are familiar with the EU RoHS rules and often confuse China’s with the EU’s. Let’s sort out the regulatory logic behind them and the core differences between the two.
China’s set of marking requirements mainly comes from three regulations and standards. Introductory readers do not need to memorize the numbers, just know the general division of labor:
• The first is the , which is the core regulation, stipulating mandatory requirements and penalty rules for violations;
• The second is SJ/T 11364, which specifically stipulates the detailed requirements such as the style, position, and content of the mark;
• The third is GB/T 26572, which we mentioned earlier, stipulating the specific limit values of the 6 types of restricted substances.
In addition, there is a “compliance management catalog”: products in the catalog not only need to mark information, but also need to undergo conformity assessment; products outside the catalog only need to disclose information as required, and there is no mandatory conformity assessment. At present, most charging products are outside the catalog, and the specific situation shall be subject to the latest official list.
The core logic of this system is actually very simple: on the one hand, it forces enterprises to reduce the use of hazardous substances from the production side; on the other hand, it discloses information from the consumer side to guide everyone to correctly recycle e-waste. It adopts a classified management method, with strict control over high-risk products, and information disclosure first for low-risk products, which is gradually promoted.
Compared with the EU RoHS that everyone is familiar with, there are three main core differences:
1. **Different marking requirements**: China mandatorily requires the green e or environmental protection use period mark to be marked on the product or packaging, and a hazardous substance content table must also be attached; EU RoHS is usually reflected through the CE mark, EU declaration of conformity, and technical documents, and generally does not require a separate special environmental protection use period mark like China RoHS. Enterprises only need to keep relevant documents for inspection.
2. **Different number of controlled substances**: China currently controls 6 types of substances, while EU RoHS controls 10 types, with 4 more phthalate substances than China.
3. **Different applicable boundaries**: If the product is sold to the EU, it follows the EU rules; if it is to be sold in the Chinese market, it must be affixed with the Chinese mark, and cannot be replaced by the EU CE or RoHS declaration.
Practical judgment: how to tell if the mark is compliant
After understanding the rules, let’s see how to use them in practice: how to judge whether the mark of a product is compliant? What are the common misunderstandings?
Quick distinction of easily confused marks
Many people confuse this mark with other common certification marks. We can use a table to quickly distinguish:
| Mark Type | Core Function | Difference from Pollution Control Mark |
| 3C Certification | Controls electrical safety (electric shock, fire) | The two are independent requirements and cannot replace each other; for chargers/adapters included in the CCC catalog, both requirements must be met separately. Whether charging cables and some adapters require CCC shall be judged separately according to the official CCC catalog. |
| Energy Efficiency Label | Indicates power consumption level | Only related to power consumption, has nothing to do with hazardous substance control |
| Ordinary Recycling Mark | Reminds of recyclable attribute | Only has recycling reminder, no use period or hazardous substance information |
| EU RoHS/CE | EU market environmental compliance certificate | Cannot replace China’s requirements, and additional Chinese marks must be affixed when entering China |
Identification of common non-compliant marks
For charging products sold in the Chinese market, if the following situations occur, it can basically be judged as non-compliant:
• No mark at all: no relevant environmental protection information can be found on the product body, packaging, or instruction manual;
• The mark is blurry and easily damaged: the printed characters come off as soon as they are scraped, or the numbers and patterns are unclear, and they are easy to fall off under normal use;
• Missing content: only a ring pattern, no marked years, or no supporting hazardous substance content table;
• Non-conforming language: only English marks, no Chinese;
• Missing marks in the set: only the charging head has a mark, and the charging cable and adapter in the set do not.
Common questions about the “×” mark
Many people get nervous when they see the × in the hazardous substance table, thinking that the product is of poor quality or illegal, but that’s not the case at all.
First of all, the direct meaning of × is: at least one homogeneous material in this component has restricted substances exceeding the limit specified in GB/T 26572.
But having × does not mean that the product cannot be sold or is non-compliant. Whether it can be sold legally depends on whether the product is in the compliance management catalog, and whether it meets the requirements of exemption or conformity assessment.
For charging products, some applications may be eligible for exemptions, exceptions, or transitional arrangements, such as lead in specific solders; the use of PBB/PBDE brominated flame retardants is limited to specific historical transitional arrangements or situations explicitly allowed by the authorities. Whether a product is allowed to be sold shall be comprehensively judged in combination with the compliance management catalog, conformity assessment requirements, applicable exemption list, and the latest official documents.
Of course, the exemption list is not static and will be updated regularly. Enterprises also need to gradually replace these hazardous substances and cannot rely on exemptions all the time.
So the core conclusion is very clear: **having × does not mean a poor-quality product, nor does it mean a non-compliant product**. As long as it meets the national rules and requirements, it is legal.
Compliance judgment for special scenarios
There are two compliance issues in special scenarios that are frequently asked:
• **Cross-border e-commerce and personal overseas shopping**: If a merchant sells charging products within the territory of China, whether through cross-border e-commerce platforms or other channels, it must meet the marking requirements; if it is for personal use and the product is directly mailed from overseas, there is no mandatory requirement for this mark, but it cannot be bought and then resold for profit.
• **Gift accessories**: Many people think that gifts do not need to be compliant, but that’s not true—as long as they are charging accessories sold with the product, even free charging cables and adapters must meet the marking requirements and cannot be omitted.
Examples of marks for common charging products
After talking about so many rules, let’s take a few common charging products as examples, and you will be clearer.
The first is a 65W USB-C charger, which is a large-volume product. Its mark is generally printed on the back of the body, which is a 10-year environmental protection use period mark, and then a hazardous substance content table will be attached in the instruction manual. Common component symbols are: shell ○, circuit board solder joint × (lead in solder is within the exemption scope), pin ○, USB interface ○.
The second is an ordinary USB-A to USB-C charging cable, which is a small-volume and slender product. Because the cable body is too thin to print the mark, the 5-year environmental protection use period mark and the hazardous substance content table are generally printed on the packaging or instruction manual. Common component symbols are: cable sheath ○, connector solder joint × (lead in solder is exempt), connector metal part ○.
The third is a 5A high-power charging cable with an E-Marker chip. Its mark position is the same as that of ordinary charging cables, on the packaging or instruction manual, but the hazardous substance content table needs to additionally cover the E-Marker chip component. Common component symbols are: chip circuit board × (lead in solder is exempt), cable assembly ○.
The fourth is a set of charging head + charging cable. For this kind of set, a unified hazardous substance table can be made in the instruction manual, listing the situation of the charging head and the cable separately, without making a separate one for each product. But note: if the environmental protection use periods of the two products are different (for example, the charging head is 10 years and the charging cable is 5 years), they must be marked separately, and a unified period cannot be written only.
Must-read for cross-border sellers: how to do basic compliance
If you are a cross-border e-commerce seller who wants to sell charging products to the Chinese market, the basic compliance process can be divided into three steps:
The first step is preliminary material sorting. You need to sort out the full bill of materials (BOM) of the product, disassemble all materials into the smallest homogeneous material units, such as plastic shell, solder, copper pin, cable sheath, etc.; then ask each supplier for the hazardous substance declaration (MD for short) of the corresponding material to confirm the compliance status of the material.
The second step is compliance verification and content preparation. For high-risk components such as solder and plastic shells, if the supplier’s declaration is not clear enough, you can entrust a qualified third-party institution to conduct testing. Then, prepare the hazardous substance content table in accordance with the requirements of SJ/T 11364, and determine whether to use the green e mark or the environmental protection use period mark according to the compliance status. It is also necessary to confirm the rationality of the environmental protection use period in combination with the material life and use environment of the product, and cannot mark it randomly—for example, if the aging resistance life of the plastic shell is only 5 years, marking 10 years is definitely not allowed.
The third step is mark implementation and audit. The style, color, and size of the mark must meet the standard requirements, and those printed on the body must be wear-resistant and will not fall off under normal use. It is also necessary to check whether the marking content on the product body, packaging, instruction manual, and qualification certificate is consistent, and there should be no situation where one side marks 10 years and the other side marks 5 years. The e-commerce detail page can display the marking information simultaneously, but it must comply with the aforementioned position rules and cannot replace the marking obligation accompanying the product.
After understanding the mark: how to dispose of old charging products
Understanding these marks ultimately boils down to practical environmental protection actions. What is the relationship between these marks and recycling? How should old charging products be disposed of?
First of all, the most direct function of this mark is to guide recycling: do not mix old charging products into domestic garbage, and give priority to handing them over to formal e-waste recycling channels; if there is × in the hazardous substance table of the product, it means that the pollution risk is relatively higher, so it is more necessary to put it in a special e-waste recycling point, and do not discard it at will.
Many people ask: when the environmental protection use period expires, must it be thrown away? The answer is **it is not equal to mandatory scrapping**. Expiration means that the commitment period for no leakage of hazardous substances in the product has passed, and the risk of environmental leakage is no longer guaranteed by the original EFUP; if the product’s appearance, insulation, heat generation, and functions are all normal, it can still be used. If there is damage, overheating, odor, or you are going to discard it, regardless of whether it has expired, you should give priority to handing it over to formal e-waste recycling channels to reduce pollution risks.
At present, there are three common formal recycling channels within the territory of China: e-waste recycling bins in communities, official brand trade-in activities, and formal e-waste recycling platforms.
In general, the core logic of the China RoHS mark is “information disclosure”: on the one hand, it allows consumers to clearly understand the environmental risk of products and master the correct disposal method of old products; on the other hand, it forces enterprises to gradually reduce the use of hazardous substances, and ultimately reduce the impact of e-waste on the environment. After reading this content, you can not only identify the three core marks of green e, environmental protection use period, and hazardous substance content table, accurately distinguish the differences between it and 3C, energy efficiency, ordinary recycling marks, and EU RoHS rules, but also understand the meaning behind the marks—knowing that the environmental protection use period is neither a warranty period nor a scrap period, and the “×” in the hazardous substance table does not mean a poor-quality or non-compliant product. For ordinary consumers, they can quickly judge the marking compliance of charging products in the Chinese market; for cross-border sellers, they can also complete the compliance preparation of products according to the basic process.