The Material Compliance project – looking to the future Bisphenol A (BPA), hexavalent chrome and perfluorinated tensides (PFTs) are three substances found in a wide range of products that have been found to be hazardous in recent scientific studies. As a result, their use is subject to strict regulations. This field, which is new to many companies, is known as material compliance. It involves ensuring that raw materials and other substances are handled responsibly and in accordance with the law. Julia Heidler, Gira's material compliance manager, explains why this approach, which for Gira is a matter of course, is an essential part of a product-related environmental policy.

Material compliance sounds like a highly complex subject. What does it involve?
Julia Heidler: To us material compliance means understanding the legal requirements relating to the environment and health and safety that apply to the raw materials we use to make our products. Our objective is to stop using hazardous substances or only to use them within the relevant legal framework, such as the European chemicals regulation REACH. In addition, we do not work with raw materials produced by overexploitation of natural resources, forced labour or child labour or with substances that come from countries where armed conflicts are taking place. Material compliance also includes the environmentally responsible disposal or recycling of electrical equipment, for example Gira HomeServers.

What is Gira's approach to material compliance?
Julia Heidler: The first stage of the process involved systematically identifying all the directives, regulations and laws that apply to Gira and incorporating the requirements that our products must meet into our development process. We also investigated all our existing products to determine to which extent they needed to be modified in order to comply with all the legal requirements. To ensure that our product modifications follow the material compliance regulations, we have included a checklist in our change management process that allows us to examine which requirements have to be met and whether the modified products meet them. It is equally important for us to identify the relevant amendments to legislation at an early stage, so that we can respond to them proactively. As material compliance is a relatively new field, we also need to raise awareness of its importance inside the company and among our suppliers and external partners. This involves in-depth communication measures and the provision of training courses.

Why is this topic particularly important to Gira?
Julia Heidler: At Gira, responsible use of resources is an important future task. This includes complying with all the legal requirements for the substances and materials we use, with no ifs or buts, and taking product-related protection of the environment seriously.

What will Gira be doing in the field of material compliance in the near future?
Julia Heidler: Our aim is to become even more proactive. In addition, our SAP system will soon be able to provide details of the material compliance status of all our products at the click of a mouse, so that we can ensure that our customers always receive reliable information.