A multiple stakeholder perspective on barriers to implementing China RoHS regulations

•Multiple stakeholder input is used to evaluate barriers to China RoHS implementation.•Evaluation of RoHS barriers includes relationships and relative importance of barriers.•Similarities and differences of stakeholders’ viewpoints were evident from a DEMATEL analysis.•The study involved practitioner inputs from Dalian, China.•The lack of supportive government economic policies is a significant barrier to China RoHS implementation.

With increasingly severe environmental risks deriving from electronic and electrical and other products, China has recognized RoHS (the restriction of the use of [certain] hazardous substances [in electrical and electronic equipment]) legislation as a necessity. However, the implementation of China's RoHS has faced a variety of challenges. Some literature has explored the barriers to implementing RoHS in Chinese context. Nevertheless, formal modeling tools to aid a systematic analysis of barriers to implementing China RoHS from a multiple stakeholder perspective can also provide insights. Using the perspectives of three stakeholders: local government, professional associations and a manufacturer in Dalian, China, we acquire multi-faceted managerial inputs to evaluate the barriers to implementing China's RoHS. The managerial inputs further are evaluated by a grey-based DEMATEL with a similarity analysis between the various stakeholders. The contributions include a further understanding of RoHS regulations and responses in China as well as a methodological contribution advancing evaluation and interpretation of DEMATEL. Managerial implications of the presented study and application, limitations and future research directions are also discussed.