SIM2 Corporate Environmental Policy

SIM2 is devoted to improving people's lives and help achieve a sustainable society, continuously striving on reducing the effects on the environment by developing environmentally compatible products and processes. SIM2 promotes its Corporate Environmental Policy (CEP) activities based on the conviction that all human behavior influences the environment, and we wish to be a part of sustainable global development. Our commitment extends to finding a balance between the needs of the environment and the quality, performance, economic value, and life cycle of our products. Indeed, through the use of design and best management practices, improvements are continually made to conserve natural resources and to minimize the use of environmentally sensitive materials.

Product design

SIM2 recognizes that the importance of reducing environmental impact starts during the product design process. SIM2 evaluates the environmental impact of its R&D activities, and establishes and maintains environmental objectives and target programs, taking all the necessary steps to reduce the impact in subsequent phases of the products’ life cycle: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).?As part of our efforts to achieve a recycling-based society, SIM2 has started to approach the LCA methodology to quantitatively and fully evaluate the impact of its products through their entire life cycle.?SIM2 is working to make Lifecycle assessments mandatory for all new products.

Raw materials and RoHS Directive

During the design of the product a purchasing preference is given to recycled and environmentally-friendly materials. We will ensure that the chosen suppliers have adopted environmentally appropriate outlooks and policies. On March 17 2009 European Commission stated (2009/251/EC) to ban biocide dimethylfumarate that posed health threats, requiring Member States to ensure that products containing it would not be placed or made available on the market. SIM2 in order to guarantee the high level of environmental respect has hired an external Laboratory (certified Sincert) to test and certify components suspected of being polluted. ?RoHS compliance. It is SIM2’s policy to conduct business in a manner consistent with sound environmental management practices and to comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations. The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive - enforced on July 1, 2006 - is intended to reduce the use of 6 substances that may pose risks to human health or to the environment.?The six substances are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB (polybrominated biphenyls), and PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers).?SIM2 established internal product environmental assurance standards that include the six hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment banned by the RoHS

Production

We have been working hard to improve production quality and efficiency giving cleaner technology a high priority when choosing methods of production and equipment. Clear indexes of this trend are SIM2’s power consumption diminished by 25% (24.88%) from 1999 to 2008 (electrical consumption per worked day) and its water demand decreased by 80% in the same period.?SIM2 management decided, regardless for the costs, to entrust external specialized companies with polluting industrial processes such as electronic components soldering, before made internally.

Disposal

We will endeavor to make product parts suitable for recycling. This entails making significant components easily identifiable during disassembly, and thereby making it possible to choose the best method of disposal or recycling.??SIM2 is also engaged in a project to ease the disposal of hazardous waste such as spent lamps. WEEE Directive? - The European Union (EU) Directive on WEEE (waste from electrical and electronic equipment) is intended to protect the quality of the environment and human health through the prudent use of natural resources and the adoption of waste management strategies that focus on recycling and reuse. The legislation requires the creation of waste collection procedures and places, which allow customers to return their used e-waste free of charge and whose objective is to increase recycling and re-use of such products. Despite such rules on collection and recycling only one third of electrical and electronic waste in the European Union is reported as appropriately treated and the other two thirds go to landfills and potentially to sub-standard treatment sites in or outside the European Union. The collection target of 4 kg per person per year does not properly reflect the situation in individual Member States. Illegal trade of electrical and electronic waste to non-EU countries continues to be widespread.?SIM2 since 2008 is a member of “Re.Media” for domestic and professional products. ReMedia is one of the most important Italian WEEE Collective Compliance Associations. ReMedia supervises the entire chain, from WEEE collecting site to treatment and recycling facilities.

Environmental Education & Awareness

Our CEP represents the commitment of SIM2 to society. In order to fulfill this commitment, every employee in the company must share the goals of the plan and work toward their achievement. For this reason, learning classes are conducted periodically and are broken up according to knowledge and job position. Moreover, since 2008 SIM2 in collaboration with the University of Padua has been organizing whole educational days.