Green Purchasing and Procurement

The main purchases made by the Elpida Memory Group are products, semi-finished products, components, materials, chemical substances, production equipment, and office supplies.
Parts and materials used in products and production undergo an evaluation (product assessment) of the chemical substances they contain. Our designers comply strictly with regulations and customer requirements via a system of checking that spans multiple departments.
By stipulating the "Green Procurement Guidelines" as standards for product purchasing for both manufacturing subcontractors and suppliers, the Elpida Memory Group requires that hazardous substances not be used and investigates whether or not they are present. It also checks that the Group's standards are being met.

Main purchases

Green procurement guidelines

Areas covered by evaluation	Manufacturing subcontracting	Components and materials	Chemicals/gases
Chemical substances contained in products			–
Chemicals/gases used in production		–
Contracting companies' EMS
Manufacturing subcontractor's environmental risk reduction measures		–	–

Management and evaluation of suppliers

According to the Elpida Memory Group's Green Procurement Guidelines, the introduction of an environmental management system and compliance with the Group's chemical substance management standards are conditions for transactions with business partners. The Elpida Memory Group has also set out regulations for evaluating manufacturing subcontractor partners, evaluates them in accordance with environmental risk evaluation criteria, and obtains their cooperation in activities to reduce environmental risk. Evaluations are continued each year, and a system is in place for providing feedback on evaluation results and areas requiring improvement.

Evaluation standards for environmental risk reduction measures

Hazardous substances management

With respect to the inclusion of hazardous substances in products, RoHS-compliant product design criteria provide the basis for product design, and products, parts and materials, and packaging materials are checked during purchasing for chemical substances to ensure the environmental quality of Elpida Memory Group products (see RoHS Directive Restricted Substances).
The Elpida Memory Group has also set out disposal procedures for unneeded design and manufacturing equipment. When commissioning waste processing the Group checks for dangerous hazardous substances, commissioning the recovery and destruction of fluorocarbons and the appropriate processing of hazardous substances such as asbestos.

Example of hazardous substances management

What is the RoHS Directive?

In February 2003, the European Union issued the RoHS Directive on the restriction of use of certain hazardous substances together with the WEEE Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment. The WEEE Directive is intended to reduce waste disposal by regulating design and manufacture to enable easy reuse and recycling, as well as stipulating costs to be borne by manufacturers at the time of disposal. The RoHS Directive is intended to ensure that products containing hazardous substances do not reach the market, by regulating the use of hazardous substances contained in electrical and electronic equipment. The WEEE Directive is similar to the Japanese Home Appliance Recycling Law but has an extremely wide scope, applying to ten product categories including household appliances, computers and communications equipment, electrical tools, toys, medical devices, and vending machines. Six chemical substances are restricted under the RoHS Directive: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers.