Gumstix strives to be environmentally friendly from design to production. We responsibly manage all aspects of our business to minimize impact to the environment, while maintaining high standards of quality, technology, and cost savings that are passed along to our customers.
We minimize our impact on the environment through emphasizing the "four R's:" Reduce, Re-Use, Recover, and Recycle:
Reduce
- We ship every Gumstix product in minimal packaging even when shipping volume orders.
- We ensure that all support documentation available online to significantly reduce the use of paper for printed manuals.
- Gumstix pre-loads with software COMs and computers, needing no installation media.
- We have reduced levels of hazardous substances used in the production in all of our products. We are also in compliance with the European RoHS directive.
- Gumstix have significantly reduced office paper waste and other operation environment impacts through advanced automation of our manufacturing and logistics chain.
- Majority of Gumstix employees reduce automotive pollution by regularly telecommuting.
Re-Use and Recover
- Gumstix designs expansion boards, COMs, and cases to be forward-compatible with future Gumstix products. This will allow an efficient migration path in the future for upgrading existing equipment without requiring complete replacement protecting the environment and our customers' investment.
- We recover and re-use shipping and packing materials from our suppliers in outbound shipping. This is to reduce landfill and offering cost-savings we pass directly to customers.
- Gumstix also recover and re-use office paper waste by shredding those on-site to be used as packing material for bulk shipments.
Recycle
- We shred and recycle (not incinerate) any confidential or sensitive document that we have.
- Moreover, we separate into recyclable and non-recyclable materials all other office waste.
Gumstix and RoHS Compliance
We recognize the benefits of removing lead and other hazardous substances from computing products. As a result, we shipped each product to every customer worldwide that will have been designed to meet the lead-free and hazardous substance-free standard as set out by the European Union in 2006 under their Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) guideline.
RoHS is the acronym for "Restriction of Hazardous Substances". RoHS, also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, originated in the European Union (EU) and restricts the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products.
All applicable products in the EU market after July 1, 2006 must pass RoHS compliance. For the complete directive, see Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament.
The substances banned under RoHS are lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (CrVI), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).
These restricted materials are hazardous to the environment and pollute landfills, and are dangerous in terms of occupational exposure during manufacturing and recycling.
Portable RoHS analyzers, also known as X-ray fluorescence or XRF metal analyzers, are used for screening and verification of RoHS compliance.
The RoHS Effect
Any company that performs the following activities may be affected:
- Manufactures and sells electrical and electronic equipment under their own brand into a member state of the European Union (EU).
- Resells, under their own brand, equipment produced by other suppliers into a member state of the EU.
- Imports or exports electrical and electronic equipment on a professional basis into a member state of the European Union.
Spare parts are exempt from RoHS.
The RoHS legislation does not apply to:
- Spare parts for the repair of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) placed on the market before 1 July 2006 and to replacement components that expand the capacity of and/or upgrade of EEE placed on the market before 1 July 2006.
- The reuse of EEE placed on the market before 1 July 2006.
The RoHS Directive only applicable to products sold into the European Union.
At this time, only countries of the EU require RoHS-compliant products.
All Gumstix products are RoHS compliant.
REACH
Gumstix intends to comply with REACH Legislation in the EU. This information can be requested by sending an email to support@gumstix.com.
Customers can send us an email at support@gumstix.com if you have any further questions or concerns about our environmental policy.