Ecology Management

Ericsson offers free take-back of customers’ decommissioned equipment, WEEE (Waste Electrical  & Electronic Equipment, batteries, etc., a service run by Ericsson’s Global Services organization around the world. It was initiated in 2002 as a precursor to the EU WEEE-directive which came into effect in 2005, and Ericsson is in compliance with its requirements in every country in which it has been transposed into national legislation. Now formalized into a global program it is being proactively rolled out to all markets.

Customers contact their local Ericsson business to request the service. In some cases Ericsson is involved in decommissioning products but in other instances equipment can be deposited by the user at a collection point. The waste treatment of this material is solely the responsibility of Ericsson and we ensure it is disposed of or treated in a way that respects the environment.

A central Ericsson team is informed by the local Ericsson business when there  is a request to take back material from the collection point. This team then makes the necessary arrangements for transport and organizes recycling of this material with the contracted recyclers, maximizing cost efficiency and ensuring Ericsson’s stewardship of the whole process.
 
As a proof of the high quality of the take-back and recycling service a Certificate of destruction is issued for each shipment.

				In 2007, Ericsson Power modules won the Prestigious 2007 Elektra Award in the category Clean Design.
				Ericsson also won an award for energy-efficiency innovation from the China center of information Development (CCID).

Ericsson has agreed global contracts with a number of  recyclers to ensure the best available treatment of waste and high levels of supplier responsibility. The recyclers must comply with 80 requirements covering the recycling process, transport of equipment, after processing, landfill limits and ethical issues. Suppliers must identify new markets for the recycled content, encouraging less waste to landfill at the end of the process.

The energy efficiency of the product take-back process will be a future area of focus, aligned with our overall carbon footprint and life-cycle analysis work.