Environment & climate Reduce, reuse, recycle and replace I Certifications in Communications In our Communications business, EPOS, all main contractual suppliers hold relevant certifications, including the ISO/ EN14001 Environmental certification. The EPOS products fall under the EU manda- tory WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) regulations, and there are global sub-contractors for customer returns under warranty or returns for scrap. These are handled according to regulations applicable in specific regions. 139 Demant ∙ Sustainability Report 2021 ISO14001 In 2021, our largest Diagnostics brand, Interacoustics, progressed with a large effort towards updating their environ- mental management system (EMS). The project addresses the entire product life cycle of different diagnostic equipment to assess what we can do to reduce our environmental footprint. Based on this, Interacoustics’ headquarters in Middelfart plan to apply for an ISO14001 certificate. The certifying audit is scheduled for March 2022. The Diagnostics’ production and storage site in Mierzyn, Poland, already holds an ISO14001 certification from 2020, and other Demant sites are certified or in progress as well. Work tracks In 2021, and continuing in 2021, a focal point was to reduce the footprint of new products from product development to packaging. This included the use of electricity, waste gener- ation and using reusable or recyclable components. It further targeted the building of environmental improvements into new product requirements, and a project was launched to introduce more sustainable packaging and shipment materials. Together, Diagnostics carry 130 different instruments that all call for different ways of packing. Based on thorough tests, the goal is to introduce several alterations, including shifting to: • tape made from 100% recycled materials, • stretch foil made from 80% recycled materials, • plastic bags made from 50% recycled materials, • cardboard made from 100% FSC or re-cycled resources. These are considered the most eco-friendly yet sufficient solutions to keep the diagnostic equipment safe on every step of the journey from production to customer.
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