Nokia Packaging

Packaging

 

All packaging uses energy and resources in its manufacture. We aim to reduce this environmental footprint by minimizing package sizes and by using materials that are easy recyclable – thus saving virgin material wherever possible. Pack sizes are also important because they influence the energy per product used in transport.

We use a wide range of packaging, both for materials and equipment that we purchase from suppliers, and for delivering products to customers. It ranges from small cardboard boxes for parts to packaging for base station cabinets and antennas.

Transport and packaging requirements are considered early in the product design process. A dedicated team is responsible for all packaging design, including designs commissioned from subcontractors. They are responsible for implementing DfE principles in packaging design, environmental data collection, and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, such as the EU packaging waste directive. The team is supported by dedicated packaging employees in eachof our factories.

We use Design for the Environment (DfE) principles in all packaging design. Designers aim to minimize material and energy consumption while maximising the possibility for reuse and recycling. The principles cover the elimination of hazardous substances from packaging and ensuring boxes stack efficiently to reduce freight space. They also cover the reduction of the number and types of materials used, and markings to make recycling easier. We use plastics for cushioning only where necessary.

All our delivery packaging is designed to be reused wherever possible and we reuse packaging from suppliers where that is practical. In 2008 we recycled over € 3 million of packaging materials in our distribution hubs.

We are replacing wood packaging with more easily recyclable corrugated board wherever possible. We estimate that our corrugated board packaging for base station cabinets reduced packaging by 139 metric tonnes for deliveries to one of our major customers over a period of six months. We now pre-install some network components for transport within the cabinet units rather than being packaged and shipped separately. This has reduced freight volumes by approximately 1.5 m³ per cabinet.

In 2008 our packaging design processes were independently audited, and only one area for improvement was identified. In response we are developing a standard system for calculating the environmental impacts of packaging throughout their life cycle, covering energy use and use of natural resources.

We are currently in the process of harmonizing packaging across the business, to simplify packaging requirements. Packaging made to one Nokia Siemens Networks design will fit more efficiently in delivery containers than several designs by different suppliers. For just one product this could reduce freight volumes by 3,870 m3, plastic packaging by 25 tonnes, and corrugated board by 67 tonnes a year.
 

We have Product Packaging Requirements for use by suppliers and subcontractors. They define the materials that we consider acceptable for various uses, as well as other requirements such as moisture protection, stackability and labelling. The requirements state that shippers must minimize packaging size and material, minimize the use of non-recyclable materials (such as laminates), promote recycling through appropriate marking, and eliminate hazardous substances in paints and coatings. We will not accept the use of PVC, composite plastic materials that cannot be separated by hand, or flame retardants restricted on our Substance List (see Substances). Suppliers are also encouraged to use Nokia Siemens Networks containers for deliveries to our distribution hubs, where these will be reused in deliveries to our customers.

We aim to have a full set of environmental data on packaging, from across the business by 2011. We are collecting all our packaging data into one database and aim to be fully compliant with EU requirements for reporting this across our global operations. We are also developing processes and tools for a comprehensive packaging waste reporting system.