Nokia is an industry leader in substance management. Our main objective is that we know all the substances in our products, not just those that raise concerns, and that they are safe for people and the environment when used in the proper way.

We concentrate on what the substances in our devices are, rather than what has been excluded. Nokia is the first mobile phone manufacturer which, in close cooperation with its suppliers, has full material declaration for our mobile devices. This means we can respond swiftly if new concerns arise about substances we use.

Meeting health and environmental regulatory requirements is a basic requirement. It is our practice to use legal compliance not as a mere baseline but as a starting point from which to grow.

We follow the precautionary principle. Where we have reasonable grounds for concern over the possibility of severe or irreversible damage to health or the environment, we believe that lack of full scientific certainty should not be an obstacle to triggering actions to gather and assess additional data. That may lead us to voluntarily take steps, e.g. to substitute substances of concern with safer alternatives, where feasible alternatives are available.

Nokia Substance List (NSL)

The Nokia Substance List identifies substances that we have banned, restricted, or targeted for reduction with the aim of phasing out their use in our products. The list is divided into two sections, Restriction in Force and Monitored Substances. We work together with our suppliers in investigating alternative materials and solutions that will help us fully eliminate restricted or monitored substances from our total product line. The Nokia Substance List will be updated annually. In addition, we will give interim updates on individual substance phase outs as needed in these pages.

See the Substance list in full. (XLS file, 747 KB)

All new Nokia devices are free of PVC, lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and two flame retardants. Starting from 2010 the list will also include all brominated and chlorinated compounds and antimony trioxide.

About restricted flame retardants (rFR) phase out
(Restricted Flame Retardants = All brominated and chlorinated compounds and antimony trioxide)

• We are actively working on phasing out restricted flame retardants and are making good progress. The Nokia 3110 Evolve, launched in December 2007 is our most advanced model yet. Detailed analyzes made on the parts’ and components’ rFR compliancy of Nokia 3110 Evolve show values of 95% of component count (99.5 % of total weight of the phone) free of these substances.
• Our commitment is not however just about one device but we are phasing out use of rFRs across our whole global product range. From the beginning of 2009 we will be introducing rFR free products to all regions, steadily increasing the amount of products available throughout 2009. Our aim is to have all new products launched after end of 2009 free of these substances and we will give updates on the progress.
  
  

Working with suppliers on substance management

Our substance management requirements include the need to know, control and manage the material content of the components and parts supplied. We expect our suppliers to integrate environmental considerations in their design procedures and supply chain management.

Our suppliers must record the material content of products supplied to Nokia and make these records available to us on request. We check that they are complying with these requirements and other social and ethical standards through audits and inspections.

If we find a supplier is not complying, we ask them to take corrective action and check this has been done. We work with suppliers to help them make improvements, offering examples of best practice, training and other support. If a supplier were to refuse to address any of these issues we would be prepared to reconsider our business relationship.

We work together with selected suppliers to develop indicators of environmental performance for the components and materials in our devices. Involving suppliers in substance management means we can introduce new environmental requirements quickly.

Nokia Substance management timeline:

From time to time we get questions about certain substances or general principles in our substance management. We are addressing the frequently asked questions here.

About RoHS Directive
RoHS stands for “the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment”. The European Union’s new legislation restricts the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and two flame retardants in all electric and electronics equipment. Although this regulation came into effect on 1 July 2006, Nokia introduced the first RoHS compliant product already in April 2005, over a year before the legislation came into force. Currently all Nokia products are RoHS compliant not only in Europe, but globally.

About Tantalum / Coltan

Nokia does not buy tantalum or other raw materials but processed components and assemblies from suppliers around the world. Suppliers' activities account for a substantial part of the life-cycle environmental impact of Nokia products. Nokia has a comprehensive set of global Nokia Supplier Requirements. These requirements also include environmental requirements. It is an integral part of Nokia's supply chain management to ensure that the suppliers comply with the requirements. To ensure compliance, trained Nokia personnel conduct regular assessments as part of normal supplier assessment.

Nokia does not use any endangered species for any business purpose and furthermore requests that its suppliers avoid raw material procurement from an origin where there are clear human or animal rights abuse, or the method of procurement or distribution is illegal. In marketing and other company activities, Nokia will depict animals in a dignified manner.

We have sent a notification of the Congo situation to our suppliers who use Tantalum and asked them to follow the situation, and to avoid purchasing tantalum from Congo.. We are also reducing tantalum use in our devices.

• Please visit the UN Reports on the Congo situation
• The Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center