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Environmental Responsibility
Responsibility for the environment, the mitigation of climate change and resource-efficient solutions are key aspects of Bittium´s operations and their development. In accordance with its environmental policy, Bittium is committed to minimizing the environmental impacts of the production, use and disposal of products. The ISO 14001 standard is applied to Bittium´s environmental management system and the principles of sustainable development are observed in accordance with the standard in the following ways, for instance:
- Monitoring and observing amendments to the laws and regulations concerning environmental protection. Also includes the use of energy-efficient solutions in R&D (ecological design) and at business premises.
- Minimizing the environmental impacts of the production, use and disposal of products. The development of instructions and practices related to ecological design supports these principles.
- Encouraging suppliers and partners to implement environmental management systems. This practice supports the realization of the principles aimed at limiting the use of hazardous substances.
- Developing energy efficiency through continuous improvement. Two energy auditors approved by the Energy Authority conduct annual on-site audits.
The Company regularly monitors the international environmental requirements that govern its products as well as the local regulations derived from these. The requirements also extend to our major suppliers. The provisions of the ROHS directives (I, II and III), the REACH regulation (on hazardous substances) as well as the WEEE (recycling of waste electronic and electrical equipment) directive have been applied in Bittium´s product design since 2002. Companies are under the obligation to report any substances of very high concern (SVHCs) in their products to the SCIP database for information on Substances of Concern In articles as such or in complex objects (Products), maintained by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) effective from the beginning of 2021. SCIP has not had a significant impact on Bittium´s operations.
Although regulations prohibiting the use of halogens in electronics have not been introduced yet, Bittium aims to offer halogen-free products whenever alternatives to halogen components that meet the relevant functional requirements are available. Bittium´s halogen-free statement conforms to the IEC (International Electrochemical Commission) definition of halogen-free materials (IEC 61249-2-21).