Fortinet respects the global environment and is committed to environmentally responsible behavior. We have put processes in place to ensure that our products reduce impact to the environment and are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including the European Union (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive.

Fortinet's RoHS Environmental Program and RoHS Compliance

The RoHS Directive prohibits sale into the European Union of electronic equipment containing certain amounts of cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, mercury, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs).

Fortinet's position:

Fortinet has put the processes in place to comply with the RoHS Directive and products offered in the European Union are compliant with the June 8, 2011 Directive.

Fortinet has already eliminated, or reduced below allowed maximum concentration values (MCV), its usage of materials prohibited under this directive. At this time, RoHS allows specific exemptions applicable to certain product types (i.e. network infrastructure equipment), where appropriate alternative materials and manufacturing processes do not currently exist. The available components and manufacturing processes do not yet allow for the complete elimination of the material lead (Pb) from products produced by the network security solutions industry. Lead (Pb) continues to be a necessary material until such a time that a viable alternative becomes available for all applications. We anticipate alternatives will be developed in the near future and once available, we expect to use such alternatives for our products.

European Union Fortinet Partners may visit the Fortinet Partner Extranet for additional details on RoHS compliant products. For more information on RoHS please contact: environmental_relations@fortinet.com

WEEE Compliance

Fortinet provides recycling support for our equipment to comply with WEEE. Fortinet and our channel partners, where acting as importer of record, have established programs and recycling partnerships with designated third parties that allow customers/end users to arrange for their products to be sent to designated recycling locations in their country.

In accordance with Article 11(2) of Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE), Fortinet products put on the market after August 13, 2005 are marked with the WEEE symbol or include it in their documentation: a crossed-out wheeled waste bin with a bar beneath.

Regulations related to reuse and recycling program are evolving in each market we serve. As new information becomes available, this compliance statement will be modified. For the most complete up-to-date information on this area of the WEEE initiative, please contact us at environmental_relations@fortinet.com

In your e-mail, please be sure to include the following information:
• Company Name
• Contact Name
• Complete Address
• Country
• Phone Number
• E-mail Address
• Information about item(s) to be recycled: Fortinet part number(s), model name(s), serial number(s), quantity
• Fortinet Partner product was purchased from
• Comments

FAQ - RoHS and WEEE

Q: What is RoHS and what products are affected?
A: Directive 2011/65/EU
"The restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment."
And it applies to the following substances:

• Lead
• Mercury
• Cadmium
• Hexavalent Chromium
• PBB
• PDBE

In order to comply with the EU ROHS legislation all of these substances must either be removed, or must be reduced to within maximum permitted concentrations, in any products containing electrical or electronic components that will be sold within the European Union.

Q: What products are affected?
A: All electrical and electronic products are affected.

Q: What is the difference between lead-free and RoHS compliant?
A: While lead (Pb) is the most widely used toxic substance in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), the term "lead-free" is often wrongly adopted to refer to all of the substances specified in the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive. However, RoHS restricts a total of six substances. To be truly compliant with this legislation, the presence of each of these substances must be reduced below their allowed maximum concentration values (MCV), or an applicable exemption taken.

Q: What are the benefits of the RoHS Directive?
A: The extraction of these raw materials and their eventual disposal can cause damage to both the environment in terms of pollution, as well as to human health from occupational exposure and exposure following disposal. The removal of these materials from production will reduce the health risks of exposure.

Q: What is Fortinet's approach to the RoHS issues?
A: Due to concerns about the environmental impact of hazardous substances used in electrical products, Fortinet has implemented a transition to Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance. Fortinet respects the global environment and is committed to environmentally responsible behavior so fully supports this reduction of toxic substances that could reach the environment when such equipment is disposed of in landfill sites.

Q: What is Fortinet's verification standard for RoHS compliance?
A: Fortinet follows the RoHS Directive (Directive 2011/65/EU) and considers a product to be RoHS-compliant if the maximum concentration value is up to 0.1% by weight in homogeneous materials for lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, brominated flame retardants (PBBs and PBDEs), and is up to 0.01% by weight in homogeneous materials for cadmium, or if the appropriate exemption is taken as defined by the directive.

Q: My company is based in the USA. Does the European Union RoHS legislation affect us?
A: If you sell Fortinet product to any European Union member country, yes, you will also be affected.

Q: How will Fortinet identify European Union RoHS-compliant products?
A: All EU RoHS compliant products shipped from Fortinet will have integrated into the serial number an identifier for RoHS compliance. The RoHS is now a CE-marking directive, therefore the CE-mark will also be placed on the shipping box and product.

Q: If RoHS 2 is now a CE-marking directive, is the "RoHS COMPLIANT" green sticker still needed?
A: From January 2nd 2013, CE marking shall be the only marking which attests the conformity of the product with the requirements of RoHS 2. In compliance with EC/765/2008, the "RoHS COMPLIANT" green sticker will be phased-out from Fortinet’s products.

Q: How does Fortinet verify the materials from its vendors and suppliers are European Union RoHS compliance?
A: To ensure RoHS-compliance of components, Fortinet collects and assess RoHS-compliance declarations, Material Declarations and Analytical Test Results documents from the manufacturer as specified in EN 50581 standard.

Q: What is WEEE?
A: European Union Legislation covering the handling of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment by the producer. In the EU the "producer" is responsible for handling the WEEE process. The consistent interpretation of the "producer" by EU member states has been the "importer of record" (VAT Registrant), and that party must register and make available arrangements for treatment, recovery & recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. Legislation became effective August 13, 2005. All EEE put on the market after that date have to be WEEE marked and arrangements made available for collection after the products end of life.

Q: Why is the WEEE Directive needed?
A: In Europe, over 90% of electrical and electronic equipment goes into landfill sites - around 6 million tons of waste every year. Emissions to the air that result are a risk to both health and the environment.

Q: Are the RoHS and WEEE directives related?
A: Yes, in the sense that the WEEE Directive aims to raise levels of recycling of WEEE and encourage products to be designed with dismantling and recycling in mind. A key part of this is to make importers and distributors of electrical and electronic equipment into the EU responsible for meeting the costs of the collection, treatment and recovery of WEEE. If products are designed with this in mind, there is an opportunity to reduce these costs. The RoHS Directive fits into this by reducing the amount of hazardous substances used in products. This reduces the risks to recycling staff and means that less special handling is required, again leading to a reduction in recycling costs.

Q: Where can I find more information on RoHS and WEEE?
A: Please refer to the European Commission's Environmental webpage http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/index_en.htm