Annual Report 2009 - Husqvarna Group

118 Husqvarna Annual Report 2009 Sustainable development
Materials
Selecting materials with minimal environmental impact is a vital
aspect of product development at Husqvarna. New, more environmentally
adapted materials are substituted for existing materials
whenever possible. The Group’s Restricted Materials List
(RML) covers chemical substances in products and is a guide for
selection of materials.
Noise levels
Over the next coming years it is expected that a number of the
Group’s product categories will be subject to stricter thresholds
for ambient noise. The Group monitors this trend continuously,
and expectations of more rigorous regulations are integrated
in product development.
Recycling
A vital aspect of development work at Husqvarna involves
increasing the ability of recycling of components and materials
such as batteries and electrical components in the Group’s
p r o d u c t s .
Product regulations
Husqvarna products are subject to national, international and
regional restrictions and regulations, primarily in terms of
materials, emissions and noise.
Husqvarna monitors and participates in development of new
emissions criteria for two-stroke engines. The criteria for emission
levels have steadily become more rigorous, and this trend
is expected to continue over the next few years. Husqvarna’s
expertise in technology for two-stroke engines enables development
of products that meet future requirements.
REACH
Husqvarna maintains a dialogue with suppliers of materials and
products, and regularly monitors chemical content in accordance
with the requirements of the Candidate list. The Group
has established a steering committee that is responsible for
implementation of appropriate processes and control systems
in order to ensure compliance with REACH.
RoHS
The Europe Union’s RoHS directive regulates the use of mercury,
cadmium, lead, hexavalent chrome and flame-resistant
materials in electrical and electronic products. In accordance
with this directive, Husqvarna has modified appropriate products
and phased out prohibited substances in cooperation with
suppliers.
WEEE
The EU’s WEEE directive regulates recycling of electrical and
electronic products. Husqvarna complies with the directive’s
criteria and submits the reports required in each specific
c o u n t r y.
RML
Husqvarna’s Restricted Material List (RML) is a list including a
number of prohibited (Banned) or restricted chemical substances.
Husqvarna strives to minimise the amount of hazardous
chemical substances in the products. The RML is a tool for
all parties involved in the product development process to
work in this direction and still maintain a high quality level.
The RML is updated annually, and is distributed to the department
for product development and to external suppliers.
Product information
Husqvarna has prepared environmental declarations for some
handheld products. These declarations include specifications
of materials, fuel consumption, type of fuel, emissions, noise
levels, vibrations and packaging. They also indicate compliance
with international standards and regulations, when appropriate.
Product safety
Husqvarna shall offer users safe products of high-quality. The
Group’s comprehensive policy for product safety ensure in
many ways that a product complies with safety requirements.
These include extensive tests to meet specific criteria during
the entire phase of product development.
In order to ensure high quality and product safety, risk analyses
are performed early in the product development and
industrializing phases. The Group also applies the FMEA
method, which is a tool for identifying possible failures, evaluating
their consequences and ranking proposed measures for
guaranteeing that failures do not occur.
Husqvarna’s new two-stroke engines
Index
100
80
60
40
20
0
1996 1997 2001 2005 2008 2012
Fuel consumption
Emissions of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxids
Forecast
Husqvarna maintains a program for continuous
development of technology for twostroke
engines. Since 1995, when obligatory
criteria for fuel consumption were introduced,
the consumption levels for Husqvarna
two-stroke engines have been reduced by
approximately 20% to date. Emissions of
hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides
(NOx) have been reduced by 85% during the
same period. Husqvarna will continue to
upgrade its two-stroke engines with new
technology such as X-Torq.