Environmental care

DEVELOPMENT

Environmental protection has to start at the drawing board and go full-circle, embracing the recycling of returned equipment. Our process is based on strict in-house guidelines for designing products with the smallest possible environmental impact. These standards define exactly what environmental compatibility and “recyclability” mean at Fujitsu Siemens Computers. Our goals include reducing

quantities of waste materials created, lowering energy consumption to a minimum, and eliminating hazardous substances.

The fact that we comply with the requirements of these international environmental standards confirms how important the environment is to us. We take the entire lifecycle of our products into consideration, incorporating the following principles right from the development stage:

Avoid hazardous substances

Guarantee acceptance of returned equipment

Modular and otherwise dismantle-friendly design

Use recyclable plastics only

Label all synthetic components

Incorporate energy-saving power management features

Produce quiet systems

To ensure the environmentally conscious product concept, Fujitsu Siemens Computers has an own guideline ’Environmentally conscious product design and development’ (FSC 03230). The guideline is mandatory for product development, production and an inherent part of every Master Purchasing Agreement with suppliers.

Integration into product development

Environmental standards are integrated into the development process right from the product definition stage and included in the product specifications. As development proceeds, checks are conducted to ensure supplier adherence with prohibited substances lists and confirm the use of admissible circuit boards, housings and other molded plastics, for example. New product lines, meanwhile, undergo analysis to evaluate their recyclability and calculate related costs. The information is then channeled into product planning. A final conformity check is made before a product can be given an eco-declaration.

Statement of Precautionary Principle

Fujitsu Siemens Computers is committed to eliminating the use of harmful and potentially harmful substances in its products and production processes in order to minimise any risk to end users and to the environment. This strategy is captured in the company’s stringent environmental Guideline FSC03230 – the basis on which all Fujitsu Siemens Computers products are designed.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers strictly forbids the use of banned or restricted-by-law substances that are scientifically-proven to be harmful to human health and the environment. Furthermore, the company avoids the use of substances that may be harmful – even if the full extent of harm has not been definitively established.

In making its assessments, a dedicated team of Fujitsu Siemens Computers environmental experts collect and analyse a wide range of information, including scientific reports, legislation and customer-sourced data. As a result of this intelligence, changes are made on an ongoing basis to the Guideline FSC03230 and to the list of prohibited hazardous substances and to the list of hazardous substances to be avoided contained within it. In the case of a dispute, Fujitsu Siemens Computers takes responsibility by assembling and providing related proof.

All Fujitsu Siemens Computers suppliers are contractually obliged to adhere to the company’s lists of hazardous substances. To ensure compliance, Fujitsu Siemens Computers conducts random tests on all purchased components to ensure they do not contain hazardous substances.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers maintains a rigorous testing policy. In the development phase, the impact of chemicals, emissions, waste water, noise and energy consumption are thoroughly tested. The use of hazardous substances is only allowed according to legally given limit values and following a stringent internal approval process, and wherever possible the company’s intent is to replace dangerous substances with harmless ones. Prototypes are double-checked for environmental compliance through a recycling analysis.

Internally, the company trains and re-trains all employees involved in its environmental design, production and testing processes. In addition, regular internal audits – adhering to ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems – ensure that the company continuously fulfils its environmental commitments.

Chemical Use Policy

Fujitsu Siemens Computers maintains its own stringent Guideline FSC03230 on environmental compliance. This Guideline is mandatory for product development, production and an inherent part of every purchasing agreement between the company and its suppliers.

Since 1993, Fujitsu Siemens Computers has led the industry in the development and production of Green PCs. Green products such as FUTRO thin clients, ESPRIMO professional PC and CELSIUS workstations use halogen-free flame retardant plastics and halogen-free Printed Circuit Boards for mainboard and power supply.

Position on polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Fujitsu Siemens Computers is phasing out the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and has added it to its list of hazardous substances to be avoided in the Guideline FSC03230. PVC is not used in the housing or mechanical parts of Fujitsu Siemens Computers products and is only employed when there is no acceptable substitute. However, long-term, the company is seeking the complete elimination of PVC, and is working in conjunction with its suppliers to source alternative substances.

Position on brominated flame retardants (BFRs)
In accordance with Guideline FSC03230, the use of polybrominated flame retardants in Fujitsu Siemens Computers products is avoided. BFRs are neither used in housings nor in formed plastic parts weighing over 25 grams, which exceeds the requirements set out in the European RoHS directive. Fujitsu Siemens Computers has reduced the chlorine and bromide content of the printed circuit boards in its Green products from 12 percent to less than 0.15 percent corresponding to global standard JPCA-ES-OA-1999 and is working with suppliers to eliminate the use of halogen in favour of alternatives that will meet product performance requirements while lowering the risk of health and environmental impact.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers recently joined the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment coalition to better educate manufacturers about alternatives to bromide flame retardants.