Public Policy
At Philips, we engage with governments and regulators on important issues for our business. We regularly meet with government representatives and other key stakeholders to discuss issues, to understand their thinking, and to communicate our views. In formulating our positions, we consider the potential impacts on all key stakeholders.
Legislation for recycling
Philips proposes that manufacturers, governments and customers share the responsibility for the environmentally sound recycling of products at the end of their useful life. We believe it is the responsibility of consumers to discard their electronic waste appropriately, for governments to provide adequate collection facilities and for manufacturers to manage the treatment and recycling of their products in an environmentally sound manner. In this respect, Philips supports the concept of Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) in e-waste legislation, making producers responsible for recycling their own products once they have been collected as it can create incentives to reduce the environmental impact of products at the end of life through eco-design measures. Philips is in favor of collective recycling infrastructures within an IPR framework and believes that for some products visibility in the financing mechanism can be a useful instrument to create transparency of recycling costs and ensure a level playing field.
The energy efficiency of products
We underline the growing importance of energy consumption and energy efficiency in the global debate on climate change. This recognition is reflected in the design of our products as well as the way the way we do business. + Read about our EcoVision4 program
We support transparent reporting of GHG and energy performance and a harmonized global approach to energy efficiency standards and/or voluntary agreements, such as the Energy Star program.
We welcome the creation of a level playing field by setting mandatory minimum energy efficiency standards for products such as the European Ecodesign for Energy Using Products Directive aims to do.
Chemical Management
Philips recognizes that our products contain a number of substances which have human health, environmental, or social implications. We are actively working on solutions to minimize the negative impact of these substances by improving our design and cooperating with our stakeholders. Where possible, we substitute these substances without waiting for legislation to ban these substances. Such substances include arsenic compounds, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), phthalates, and PVC in products. + Read about our management of chemicals
ROHS directive
Philips is committed to the objectives of the RoHS directive and supports the European Commission’s proposal for the RoHS Recast as a means to improve the functioning of this directive and increase its scope. Philips calls for the addition of a number of exemptions which are required for Medical Devices. Furthermore, we call for better harmonization between REACH and the ROHS directive and improvement of the review process for exemptions.