ENVIRONMENT

Printed Circuit Boards for Your PCB Challenges

As a global business, PCB Connect is responsible for understanding environmental challenges and being proactive in doing our part to conserve the global environment.

Our environmental work was introduced in 2007, and since then, we have been certified according to ISO 14001 in 2008. The ISO 14001 certification has led us to evaluate every aspect of our business and to challenge ourselves and our extended supply chain to make an impactful environmental changes.

We evaluate our work and plan for future improvements every year. Our environmental efforts and performance are documented in our annual environmental report, including information on our achievements, impact, and policies.

Our continuous improvement actions on the environmental aspect are based on the PDCA process. This involves our plans and the participation of our stakeholders and in certain events – with our customers. 

1. Our Focus Areas and Targets Expand

We define our focus areas, targets, and future actions based on the environmental aspects that has been evaluated. The process owners and the management examine and decide the direction we will take on for short-term and long-term goals.

2. Continuous Improvement Expand As we pursue the environmental goals set globally, we streamline our processes and the quality of our product and performance set forth.
This includes training programs internally and with our stakeholders, sharing best practices to attain objectives and sustainable operations to contribute on the circular economy. 3. Performance Execution Expand

New routines, responsibilities, instructions, and work procedures are reviewed based on the planned activities to be fully executed. Each player has their own role in the completion of the set targets.

4. Evaluation and Compliance Expand

Performance analysis and evaluation are crucial to recognizing how our procedures are effective. We undergo several audits and follow-ups in our supply chain to determine if compliance is met and within control according to the plans and our policies.

Logistics & Environment

PCB Connects’ road to Sustainable Development includes minimizing the logistics impact on the environment. This indicates that we are serious in reducing the CO² emissions for our whole logistical process and our participation in the global protection of the environment.

As our response, we have engaged in various transport means and combined weight average shipments that targets the customer requirements, this resulted to an effective outcome and contributed to a lesser CO² emission.

Our supply chain played a big role in recycling and reducing waste packaging. Packaging codes are stamped per type of material for proper recycling and disposal. In this way, packaging materials will not be needed to return to our suppliers.

Overall partnership with our stakeholders created a big impact in achieving this goal.

REACH – Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals Expand

REACH regulation (EC 1907/2006) came into force in June 2007. The adopted rule aims to protect the human health and the environment from the harmful effects of the chemicals used and released. It also pursues the reduction on animal testing. Since then, a significant outcome has been observed and followed worldwide.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) administrates the lists of substances of concern (SVHC), the Annex XIV (Authorisation List) and Annex XVII (Restriction List) and manages the submission of data in the form of dossiers to provide guidance and assistance to industries through its website.

Authorities and ECHA’s scientific committees assess if the risks of substances can be managed and can be banned if unmanageable. They also decide to prohibit the use or make it subject to a prior authorisation.

PCB Connect Holding AB and its subsidiaries has analysed, investigated, and carried out our obligations and implemented vital activities to fulfil the requirements and to act on potential updates.

CONFLICT MINERALS – 3TG and the Extended Minerals Reporting Expand

The U.S. Dodd Frank Act Section 1502 and the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation targets to continually protect the environment, human health, and being socially responsible in sourcing by opposing any form of conflict and human rights violations globally.

Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (3TG) CMRT, Extended Minerals Reporting Template – EMRT (cobalt, Mica, copper, graphite (natural), lithium, and nickel) and Additional Minerals Reporting Template (AMRT) are established by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) organization aligned with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for industries to use as the standard reporting of smelters in their value chain.

Conflict Minerals focuses not only on the conflict DRC region and its surrounding countries but has extended its sourcing responsibility to affected regions or countries where its objectives are also observed.

The reported smelters also enable us to monitor another law on Forced Labour – The U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and the EU Forced Labour Regulation (FLR).

PCB Connect has performed its due diligence activities internally and in our supply chain to comply with the law. Our Reports are available for download in each respective link provided –  CMRT and EMRT. These reports are reviewed monthly to ensure that no smelter is related to any of the violations determined by the rule. Our AMRT is still under development.

ROHS – Restriction of Hazardous Substances Expand

The increase of need, production, and use of electrical and electronic products affect also the risks posed to human health and the environment if harmful chemicals are unmanaged. This covers the usage and disposal of the chemicals.

The RoHS Directive restricts the use of ten (10) substances: lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP).

In connection with the RoHS is the WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) where it promotes the collection and recycling of the electrical and electronic equipment.

PCB Connect Holding AB and its subsidiaries has analysed, investigated, and carried out our obligations and implemented vital activities to fulfil the requirements and to act on potential updates.