Our Environmental Policy, covering GN’s approach to all material environmental topics across our own operations and value chain, includes a section on resource inflows, stating that our commitment to reducing resource inflows by optimizing for efficient resource use in the design of our product and avoiding unnecessary production waste. Where this is technically and operationally feasible, we are committed to introducing recycled or renewable alternatives for materials used in our products. For biological or renewable materials, such as paper and cardboard used in our packaging, we strive to source these materials sustainably to ensure this does not lead to deforestation. The provenance of the materials we use is pivotal to the impact of our value chain, which is why we source materials with credible third-party certifications, such as FSC, ISCC Plus and Global Recycling Standard.

For video, audio and gaming products, based on the data inputs used, it was concluded that legal warranty period is the most appropriate data type for estimating products’ durability. We estimate that product durability for these products is equal to the warranty period at a minimum. In practice the products will often last longer than the minimum warranty period. The warranty period for these products differs, ranging from 1 to 5 years. Gaming and consumer products typically have 1-2 years warranty, video products typically have 2 years warranty, while selected Biz, BlueParrott and Engage headsets typically have 3 years warranty. Extended warranty services can increase warranty up to 5 years for selected products. For hearing aids, we design our products to minimum 5-year durability, which takes origin in the initial requirements for the minimum storage time for documentation in the Medical Device Directive. GN is therefore required to ensure safe and effective use of its products for at least 5 years, which is documented in our submissions to authorities as part of product approval.