Being environmentally responsible should be the guideline of every company in today’s fragile global society. That is why iClick has taken the initiative and made all of its USB flash drives eco-friendly as of September 1, 2007. Eco-friendly flash drives are better for the environment because the materials used, such as lead-free solders, are more easily decomposed than their traditional counterparts and are less harmful to the environment. Advances in technology and materials have allowed us to produce eco-friendly drives with the same quality and price points as before. But we didn't stop there. We continued our quest to produce only environmentally safe products and made sure that our packaging (the vinyl snap pouch, neck lanyard, and paper insert) all met the eco-friendly standards that we set. You get the same 5x quality flash drive and packaging but only now, eco-friendly!
The following are the eco-friendly components of our products:
- USB drive including the PCB board, solder, memory chip, and electronic components
- Housing or casing including those made of plastic, aluminum, steel, leatherettes, and silicone
- Ink used to print the logos
- Vinyl snap packaging that is standard with all models
- Neck lanyard - black that is standard with all models
- Paper insert card for technical support that is standard with all models
So what are the restricted toxic materials that make our drives eco-friendly?
- Lead
- Mercury
- Cadium
- Hexavalent chromium
- Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
- Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)
Why is restricting the use of these materials in USB flash drives good for the environment?
In general, these five toxins have been identified as the five most common and harmful toxins in electronic components. They contaminate water supplies when they decompose and could pose a threat to customers who handle the product in unintended uses. One of the biggest material offenders to the environment in electronics and especially flash drives is solder. Solder is the liquid metal that binds all circuit boards in every electronic product and traditional solder is made with lead. The use of lead-free solders in eco friendly USB flash drives allows the drives to decompose without contaminated water with toxic lead. It has also provided immediate health benefits to our factory workers in both prototype and manufacturing operations. Their contact with solder paste no longer represents the same health-hazard it did before.
iClick's eco-friendly USB flash drives follow the guidelines of the EU RoHS Directive. The RoHS Directive stands for "the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment." This Directive bans the placing on the of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. The RoHS Directive is not required by the United States but iClick has taken it upon themselves to enforce the environmentally friendly standard for all of our USB flash drives including the standard vinyl pouch packaging, neck lanyard, and paper insert.
In addition to preserving the environment, iClick is also committed to protecting the health and safety of our employees, customers, and the global community. We recognize that by integrating sound environmental, health, and safety management practices into all aspects of our business, we can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing resources for future generations.