Below we have listed some common questions we get about our sustainability work. If you have other questions about sustainability, don´t hesitate to contact us.
SUSTAINABILITY
How do you ensure product compliance, such as REACH, RoHS, TSCA et cetera?
We are keeping track on new and updated regulations and products requirements such as REACH, ROHS, POPS, TSCA, California Prop 65 and PFAS. When there are updated/new regulations released we are analyzing if/how it applies to our products. Next step is to check with our suppliers (PCB factories and their material suppliers) for their implementation and compliance. Based on their declarations and test reports, we can judge compliance status and act where we see any deviations, to make sure the products we deliver meet the requirements.
How does NCAB secure supply chain in regard to conflict minerals?
NCAB is committed to only use conflict-free minerals. The 3TG minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold) and cobalt must not be linked to violence and human rights abuses. We require our factories to work exclusively with smelters that are compliant with the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and follow the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP). We train our factories in how to apply the RMI audit scheme to control their supply chain.
The supply chain is reviewed at least once a year, and also when NCAB check routines and documentation on site in the factory audits.
Our factories report on conflict minerals and cobalt according to the frameworks provided by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), using the templates CMRT (Conflict Mineral Reporting Template) and EMRT (Extended Mineral Reporting Template). We review their answers including checking whether their listed smelters are on the Conformant Smelter List of RMI. If a smelter is not on the Conformant Smelter List, we act to understand if there is a plan to become a Conformant Smelter. If there is no such plan, we then proceed to exclude this smelter from our supply chain as soon as possible.
How big of an impact do different types of transportation have on the climate?
Are there smarter choices than others?
Our biggest climate impact, when it comes to transportation, comes from shipping goods by air from China/Hong Kong to our customers in Europe and USA.
In 2023, our average greenhouse gas emission (measured in CO2 equivalents) was the following: Air 6.69 kg CO2e/kg goods, sea 0.12 kg CO2e/kg goods and rail 0.0 kg CO2e/kg goods. Choosing sea or rail instead of air will have a major impact on decreasing the emissions.
How do I know that employees working in your factories have good working conditions?
Through our Supplier Code of Conduct we require compliance to human rights and fair labour and working conditions, including health and safety. This applies to all factories. In our business the highest risks – but also our strongest impact – are in the main factories in China. These are the ones we focus our regular onsite sustainability audits on.
In China, many workers live onsite, and we also include the dormitories and canteens in our audits. Normally it takes two to three days to conduct the full sustainability audit, and one day to do the follow-up audit where implementations of corrective actions are checked.
Every audit is done on factory site and follows a detailed template consisting of six parts: Management System, Human Rights, Labour and Working Conditions, Health and Safety, Environment, and Business Ethics. Audits are done biennial for already approved main factories, as well as part of our approval process of new main factories.
What are your sustainability requirements when selecting factories?
Solar panels on the roof of Jove factory, Jiangmen, China, from where they get ca 5% of their energy needs. In 2021, we started to collect data on our main factories’ energy consumption and energy mix.
We work with our production partners in long-term partnerships and put high demands on them. To be qualified as a main factory and listed on NCAB’s Preferred Supplier List (PSL), factories must follow our sustainability requirements:
- Sign and comply with our Code of Conduct for Suppliers, which is aligned with the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) requirements.
- Pass our quality and sustainability audits
- Be ISO 9001 certified (quality management system)
- Be ISO 14001 certified (environmental management system)
- Report on conflict minerals and cobalt according to the frameworks provided by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and follow the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP)
- Follow legislation covering raw material content (RoHS, REACH, TSCA, and California Proposition 65)
- Comply with local regulations covering social compliance and environmental impact
- In October 2022, we also added parameters to evaluate energy mix, energy consumption, and waste handling. Including plans for improvements within these areas.
What are the most important factors to consider for a more sustainable PCB design?
We know that optimized design supports optimized manufacturing and high quality products, which means less waste, less energy and water, and smaller volumes of chemicals used in the PCB production. It also supports the process of building a reliable printed circuit board that has longevity and ensures the reliability of the end-product use. For a more sustainable PCB design we look to engage with our customers in the product development phase.
Here are some examples of areas to be consider for a sustainable PCB design:
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM) – our local technicians give advice early in the design stage to optimize the PCB design for manufacturing and reliability of the PCB itself. Our technicians can run DFM checks of the layout, stack ups, requested base materials and other technical features and tolerances.
- Optimized panel – Reduce waste of material by optimizing the panel. NCAB can support to maximize the panel utilization.
- Choice of material – Use of material that comply with REACH, RoHS, TSCA etc. Halogen-free material is a ‘’greener’’ alternative.
- Surface treatment – At present, OSP is the only surface treatment we know of which is more sustainable in relation to processes and chemicals, compared to other surface treatments. We need to research more within this area, and hope to have more information on this shortly.
Download our PCB design guidelines
For a more sustainable PCB design, and to get it right from the start, we have put together our PCB design guidelines as a support in your design work. Download them for free.
Can recycled material be used in printed circuit boards?
How much of a printed circuit board is made of recycled material?
At present there is very little information available about recycled materials used in PCBs. What we know is that copper and other metals can be recycled and reused, but they are not reused back into PCBs but instead into other products.
Our Technical Council’s sustainability focus group is now investigating more about the use of recyclable and reusable materials. We’re reaching out to our most common laminate manufacturers to understand their roadmap for more sustainable materials and what is already available today. We are also looking at companies focusing on R&D within this field. We hope to have more information on this shortly.
How does NCAB secure employee satisfaction?
We believe in a value based culture where employee engagement is key and a driver for satisfaction. Our values have been developed by all personnel jointly and we are committed to integrating them into our everyday operations. Onboarding programmes for new employees, training, PDAs (personal development appraisals) and leadership are all important parts in upholding strong values, committed and motivated employees and a collaborative culture across the organization.
Our biennial employee satisfaction survey measures employee engagement, team efficiency and leadership, and questions on well-being. The feedback from these surveys then provides us with clear actions on how we can improve. Managers are responsible for communicating the results in their organisations and together with their teams take actions based on the survey result.
Where does NCAB have the greatest climate impact?
Our biggest impact is in our scope 3; emissions from energy consumption in PCB production (Category 1: Purchased goods and services) and from transportation (Category 4. Upstream transportation and distribution).
NCAB GHG EMISSIONS 2023
So far, we have not calculated all emission categories of scope 3, but we can already tell that most of our emissions can be found right there. The energy demand to produce the PCBs and transportation drives the majority of the emissions from the current calculations.
How does NCAB secure equal opportunities and wellbeing for its employees?
Diversity and inclusiveness are important to NCAB Group – diverse teams in which employees have different experiences and perspectives is sustainable in the long run and creates creativity and innovation. We have zero tolerance towards harassment or discrimination of any kind, whether we are talking about unequal opportunities, sexual harassment or bullying on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political opinion, age, disability, or anything else.
To create awareness of our zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination and harassment, the topic is highlighted and discussed in global introductions and onboarding programs. Incidents can be reported to VP People & Culture via internal channels and anonymously via NCABs whistleblowing function.