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Raw Materials and Parts Procurement Stage -
Control of Chemical Substances Contained in Products

In order to comply with environmental laws and regulations in each country where our products are sold, we conduct thorough quality control of parts delivered daily in accordance with the Standards on the Management of Certain Chemical Substances established in 2003 and maintain a chemical substance control system that covers our entire supply chain.

Control of Chemical Substances Contained in Products

In order to produce products that do not contain any substances prohibited by laws or regulations, it is essential that prohibited substances are not be included in any parts, materials, or auxiliary materials. We use X-ray fluorescence spectrometers and phthalate screening systems installed at all of our plants to test all parts, materials, as well as auxiliary materials for chemical content and make sure that none of them contain any hazardous substances prohibited by the EU RoHS Directive* or other similar standards. We also conduct audits of suppliers to determine whether they have established adequate chemical substance control systems ensuring that prohibited substances are not contained in their products, and procure parts, materials, and auxiliary materials only from suppliers who have met our transaction standard.

* Effective July 2006, the EU RoHS Directive prohibits the use of the following ten hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment sold on the market.
(1) Lead, (2) Mercury, (3) Cadmium, (4) Hexavalent chromium, (5) Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), (6) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), (7) Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP), (8) Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP), (9) Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), (10) Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP)

● Efforts to Control Chemical Substances Contained in Products

Efforts to Control Chemical Substances Contained in Products

Chemical Substance Control System

We maintain a system to control the chemical substances contained in our products. Dubbed the Kyocera Document Solutions Green Procurement System (KDGPS), it is compatible with chemSHERPA-AI/CI, an information sharing program run by the Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium (JAMP) that has been promoted for use across the board by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Designed to reduce the burden on suppliers, the system enables both our suppliers and us to exchange survey requests and responses and check each other's status online. Enabling quick and reliable management of chemical substances, the system can also accommodate the addition of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) under the EU REACH regulation as well as calculate their content in products.

● Chemical Substance Control System

Chemical Substance Control System

Survey of Chemical Substances Contained in Products

To ensure that our products comply with chemical substance-related laws and regulations as well as eco-labelling criteria in each country, we established the Standards on the Management of Certain Chemical Substances in December of 2003. We update these standards each time chemical substance-related laws and regulations in a country are enacted or amended. Also included in the standards are additional SVHCs* under the EU REACH regulation as well as any changes to exemptions from the EU RoHS Directive.

* Substances of very high concern (SVHCs) are substances that may have serious effects on human health due to their carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, as well as other characteristics, and are candidates for inclusion in Annex XIV (Authorization List) of the EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.

Supplier Audits

Before starting to do business with a new supplier, we always conduct an audit of its chemical substances management processes in order to ensure the adequate control of chemical substances. As a matter of principle, we only do business with suppliers who have passed the audit. We also distribute a Chemical Substance Self-Evaluation Checklist to our suppliers every year and ask them to conduct a self-assessment of their daily maintenance and management processes. We then review their self-assessment results to determine whether they are properly managing chemical substances.

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