Dell believes that if reasonable scientific grounds indicate that a substance or group of substances could pose significant environmental or human health risks, it is a substance of concern. Dell will avoid using these substances of concern and will take precautionary measures if these substances:

• Are a known threat to human health or the environment
• Show strong indications of significant risks to human health or the environment
• Are known to biopersist or bioaccumulate in humans or the environment

For more information on Dell’s precautionary approach to chemical management, please see Dell’s Chemical Use Policy. 

The Company's Precautionary Measures

To enforce the company’s precautionary measures, Dell strives to eliminate substances of concern in its products by:

• Maintaining a Banned and Restricted Substance program
• Choosing designs and materials that avoid the use of substances of concern
• Prohibiting supplier use of these substances contractually
• Substituting viable alternative substances

If alternatives are not yet viable, Dell works with its industry partners to promote industry standards and the development of reliable, environmentally sound and economically scalable technical solutions.

Consistent with our Chemical Use Policy, periodic revisions of our restricted materials list will be made to incorporate legal requirements, relevant aspects of international treaties and conventions (such as the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic Chemicals for Priority Action), and specific market demands.

Dell's Restricted Materials Guidance Document

This document lists substances that Dell bans or restricts. For each listed substance, a threshold limit has been established to account for unavoidable impurities along with exemptions consistent with regulatory requirements. Dell has implemented robust compliance assurance processes to ensure Dell's precautionary chemical use policies are met throughout the entire supply chain.

This document has been incorporated into Dell engineering specifications and supplier contractual agreements.

In addition, Dell has implemented process controls and corrective actions throughout its organization and supply chain to ensure that its chemicals-management objectives are met — and that the targeted restricted materials are replaced and alternative materials are developed for future product generations. Process controls that Dell implemented include piece-part supplier declarations and Dell factory and supplier material testing audits. Learn more about Dell's Restricted Materials Guidance Document.

Dell has implemented robust compliance assurance processes to ensure Dell’s precautionary chemical use policies are met throughout the entire supply chain.

Elimination of Brominated Flame Retardants and Polyvinyl Chloride

In line with Dell's Chemical Use Policy, the Precautionary Principle and with consideration for Chemicals for Priority Action identified by the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the NE Atlantic (OSPAR), Dell's goal is to eliminate the use of all brominated flame retardant (BFR) chemicals and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics in our products worldwide.

Brominated flame retardants and PVC are covered in Dell's banned and restricted material program. For more information, see Dell's Supply Chain Management and Compliance Process.

We avoid the use of BFR and PVC by using plastics that can be flame retarded with non-halogenated compounds and by using design strategies that minimize plastics; therefore reducing the need to use flame retarded plastics at all. BFR and PVC restrictions managed through Dell’s ‘Materials Restricted for Use’ specifications as are follows:

• Dell prohibits the use of PBBs ( polybrominated biphenyls) and PDBEs ( polybrominated diphenyl ethers) (including DecaBDE ( decabromodiphenyl ether) ) for all applications.
• Dell prohibits the use of all other BFRs (including TBBP-A ( tetrabromobisphenol A) and HBCDD ( hexabromocyclododecane) ) and PVC in all mechanical (chassis) plastic parts for desktops, laptop and server products, as well as TCO-certified displays and Blue Angel certified printers.
• Dell prohibits the use of PVC in all mechanical plastic parts and product packaging materials

Long-Term Elimination Goal

Dell and industry partners are actively working to help the supply chain develop the capability and capacity to use viable alternative materials. These alternative materials are needed to realize our goal of eliminating all remaining uses of BFR and PVC in our new products, including TBBP-A in circuit boards, in advance of regulation and as acceptable alternatives are identified. However, to be acceptable, viable alternative materials must have a reduced impact on health and the environment without compromising product performance.

By the end of 2011, all newly introduced Dell personal computing products will be BFR and PVC free₁, as acceptable alternatives are identified that will not compromise product performance and will lower product health and environmental impacts.

Progress Toward Long-Term Goals

Since 1996, Dell has been working to better understand supply chain readiness for BFR and PVC-free electronics, to develop technology roadmaps and to qualify suitable replacement materials.

1996: Shipped first Blue Angel certified PCs and Displays (prohibiting all PBBs, PBDEs and short chain paraffins)

1998: Shipped first TCO-certified PCs and Displays (prohibiting all PBBs, PBDEs and short-chain paraffins)

2002: Prohibited the use of all PBBs, PBDEs (including Deca-BDE) in all Dell products

2002:  Prohibited the use of PVC in all mechanical parts to less than 25 grams

2002:  Set a public goal to eliminate all halogenated flame retardants in desktop, notebook and server chassis plastic parts by the end of 2004.

2002:  Lead HDPUG industry consortia project to explore the health and safety impacts of Halogen-free circuit board laminate materials.

2003:  Eliminated all halogenated flame retardants in desktop, notebook and server chassis plastic parts weighing more than 25 grams.

2004:  Eliminated all halogenated flame retardants in all desktop, notebook and server chassis plastic parts (regardless of size).

2004:  Shipped first Blue Angel certified printers with Halogen-free chassis plastic parts (except high-temperature fuser assembly on laser printers).

2005:  Funded research to compile and review scientific studies assessing the environmental and health effects of TBBPA-free electronics at end of life.

2005:  Set a public goal to, by 2006, reduce the amount of bromine shipped in Dell displays by 30% (compared with 2004 levels) by shifting from CRT to LCD displays.

2005:  Set a public goal to, by Dell’s fiscal year 2008, avoid the use of 33,000 tons of bromine in display products by shifting from CRT to LCD technologies.

2006:  Commenced iNEMI and HDPUG programs to develop further understanding of technical and practical aspects of Halogen-free electronic materials. For more information, please refer to [link to Scott’s Dell’s leadership and environmental solutions]

2008:  Implemented BFR/PVC scoring criteria into quarterly business reviews with suppliers. Suppliers risk having their overall scores reduced during Dell quarterly business reviews for not offering BFR/PVC-free products.

2008:  Dell’s Studio Hybrid became the first BFR/PVC-reduced Dell desktop to offer a motherboard containing BFR-free laminates (per JPCA ES-01-1999), as well as BFR/PVC-free chassis plastics.

2008: Dell’s Latitude E4200 laptop becomes the first Dell laptop to contain a motherboard using BFR-free laminates and BFR/PVC-free chassis plastics. Additionally, the system fan housing and impeller are constructed using BFR-free plastics.

2009:  Dell releases its first completely BFR/CFR/PVC-free products, the G2210 and G2410 monitors. All components (including PWBs and packaging) of the G-series monitors are designed to be BFR/CFR/PVC-free at the homogeneous material level with no exceptions. PVC/BFR/CFR-free cables are available in North America, Japan and EMEA.

2011:  Dell commits that, by the end of 2011, all newly introduced Dell personal computing products will be BFR and PVC free₁, as acceptable alternatives are identified that will not compromise product performance and will lower product health and environmental impacts.

Dell recently met the following milestones:

• Dell is leading industry consortia projects aimed at developing BFR/PVC-free technologies (within EPA, iNEMI and HDPUG) and standards (within JEDEC). Details on these projects can be found here.
• In an ongoing effort to eliminate the remaining uses of BFRs and PVC within our new products, Dell has introduced the following BFR/PVC-reduced or BFR/PVC-Free products:
  • Latitude Z laptop, which features a mercury-free LED display, arsenic-free display glass and many internal components that are free of BFRs and PVC, including the PCB laminates and most cables and connectors. These features are available on all SKU’s configurations of the Latitude Z.
  • The Adamo XPS 13 laptop, with a mercury-free LED display, arsenic-free display glass, and free of BFRs and PVC². These features are available on all configurations of the Adamo XPS 13.
• Since 2007, Dell has introduced more than 35 BFR/PVC-reduced or BFR/PVC-free products:

Components in products below are made with resins without BFR/PVC, helping us to avoid more than 950,000 lbs of BFR/PVC-containing plastics since the beginning of 2008:

Challenges in the Elimination of BFR

In 2008, Dell removed our 2009 BFR- and PVC-elimination deadline due to lack of viable, high-volume BFR- and PVC-free alternatives within the global supply chain. Dell and industry partners are actively working to help the supply chain develop the capability and capacity to use viable BFR- and PVC-free alternative materials.

Today, there are limited BFR- and PVC-free solutions that have been qualified for all high-volume applications across all IT products, in particular the components and cables that are the basic building blocks for IT equipment. As these are standard parts that are used across the IT industry, Dell has initiated projects in major trade associations (such as International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative and High Density Packaging User Group) to help develop viable solutions and enable supply chain conversions.

Arsenic-Reduction Initiative

Arsenic is commonly used during the manufacturing of glass to reduce the effects of iron impurities in glass. In 2009, Dell has introduced Arsenic-free display glass in newly designed notebooks and display monitors. Dell will continue to expand its portfolio of arsenic-free glass in future products.

Dell plans to transition all of its new laptop displays to light-emitting diode (LED) by 2010. In addition to the energy savings when compared to cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), LED displays technology eliminates the use of mercury commonly found in CCFL. This technology has already been incorporated in the Dell Latitude E4200, E4300, E6400, E6400 ATG and E6500 and Dell is committed to expand the list of mercury free, LED-based products in future offerings. Learn more about the Mercury Reduction Initiative.

Emerging Chemicals Management Strategies

The substitution of chemicals can affect the entire product life cycle; it is critical to thoroughly evaluate the environmental and human health aspects of currently used chemicals and candidate substitution chemicals. Dell has recently engaged stakeholders such as Clean Production Action (CPA) to develop principles and assessment tools that effectively promote and develop the use of environmentally preferable chemicals across the entire life cycle. One aspect of our strategy is to understand where and in what concentrations we can use certain substances. In fiscal year 2009 Dell will begin requesting supplier disclosure of the Joint Industry Guide (JIG) Level B substance list and additional substances that are likely subject to EU REACH disclosure requirements. Substances such as antimony compounds, beryllium compounds, phthalates and bisphenol-A are included in the JIG Level B list.