Environmentally Responsible

Healthy Products in Every Way

Ergotron’s mission is to improve the wellness of customers through human-centered design. This concern for health extends to creating environmentally responsible products.

Durable and adaptable product design translates to long-term use (not disposal) of our products. Furthermore, when you invest in an Ergotron mounting solution, you are getting a product that complies with all international environmental regulations related to its design, manufacture and packaging. In fact, our product development program now exceeds many of these regulations. Read this flyer about Ergotron’s Responsible Manufacturing & Environmental Initiatives. Ergotron’s manufacturing facility is also certified in accordance with ISO 14001:2004 for its environmental management systems.

Environmental Compliance Index for Ergotron Products

Restricted Materials

European Union Directive 2002/95/EC—“Restriction on the use of certain Hazardous Substances” (RoHS)—restricts the use of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB (polybrominated biphenyls) and PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers). Ergotron products are now made to be 100% RoHS compliant.

The People’s Republic of China has implemented its own RoHS requirements: Administration on the Control of Pollution caused by Electronic Information Products (ACPEIP). In its first phase of implementation, ACPEIP requires a label be applied to all affected electronic products indicating the product’s environmental protection use period, as well as listing the concentration of harmful materials in the manual. The allowed limits for harmful materials given in ACPEIP are much tighter than in the EU RoHS Directive. The standard is still under development and further requirements, including a catalog of specified products and their testing requirements have not yet been defined. Ergotron will monitor the development of this standard and maintain compliance as further requirements develop.

Ergotron products do not fall under the scope of the Japan Law for the Promotion of the Effective Utilization of Resources (J-MOSS or Japan RoHS). We are in compliance with the restricted material levels set forth in the legislation.

Ergotron verifies compliance with restricted materials regulations through testing of materials supplied by our vendors. Each supplier has been required to supply a declaration of conformity along with supporting laboratory analyses to verify compliance with hazardous material limits. In July 2007, Ergotron also began using an on-site RoHS tester at its China manufacturing facility, adding further assurance that Ergotron products are free from harmful substances like lead, mercury, etc.

Ergotron actively monitors the regulatory environment to remain aware of impending legislation that will impact its products. It is Ergotron’s position to be proactive in compliance with all applicable laws.

Recent Updates to the RoHS Standard
As of July 2008, Deca-BDE is no longer exempt under RoHS legislation and is therefore a restricted substance. Ergotron does not use Deca-BDE in any of its products.

Batteries

The new European Union Battery Directive (2006/66/EC), which replaces the version enacted in 1991 (91/157/EC), restricts the use of mercury and cadmium in portable batteries, and encourages the collection and recycling of spent batteries. It further outlines labeling requirements for batteries, including marking the batteries with the “wheelie bin” symbol showing the battery should be recycled. The label also denotes that the batteries contain either lead, mercury, or cadmium by indicating the appropriate chemical abbreviation. Ergotron has verified that all of the batteries used in our products meet the requirements of this Directive.

Disposal of Electrical Equipment

The European Union has enacted the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC), requiring that manufacturers and distributors of electronic equipment are responsible for managing the collection and further handling (including recycling) of their products. All affected Ergotron products have been marked with the WEEE marking (shown here), in accordance with European Standard EN 50419.

Ergotron has registered with the appropriate governmental organizations in those countries (the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom) where we have a legal entity in Europe. In countries where we do not have a legal presence, Ergotron has contracted with its distributors to fulfill its WEEE registration obligations. Due to the long product life and business-to-business nature of Ergotron’s distribution network, Ergotron has chosen to join collective schemes to simplify the collection and recycling of waste products.

Although Europe has pioneered the legislation for the proper disposal of WEEE, there are several other regions throughout the world that are implementing similar requirements. Ergotron closely follows the status of international take-back legislation, in order to be prepared to serve its business and household customers more effectively.

Packaging and Package Waste

Ergotron designs its packaging to minimize the impact on the environment. We promote the use of electronic distribution of software and user installation manuals to reduce consumption of paper.

We support the EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC) and other legislation calling for the abolition of toxics in packaging. Our packaging is designed without inclusion of heavy metals and to maximize its recyclability. No excess covers or wrappings are used, and shipment quantities are carefully calculated to reduce waste of container space (and concomitant waste of fuel in transportation). When used, our shipping pallets have been heat-treated rather than fumigated to reduce the use of harmful insecticides and vermifuges while still controlling the spread of non-native insect species.

Recycling

Ergotron practices a very aggressive reclamation program. Waste parts and products are disassembled for re-use or sorted for the most efficient recycling possible. For example, of the potential waste generated by business, distribution and manufacturing operations in its headquarters facility, fully 70–80% of materials are either re-used or recycled.

The use of recycled materials is encouraged in the manufacturing of Ergotron products wherever appropriate (withstanding concerns related to structural integrity and safety). Our assemblies are made primarily of metals and plastics, both of which offer good opportunities for the use of pre- and post- consumer recycled materials. Additionally, Ergotron promotes the correct recycling of our products.

More information

Learn how to reduce the impact of electronics products on the environment by visiting www.mygreenelectronics.org. Find “green” products, investigate the issues, and calculate your own energy consumption.