# Quality
Committed to quality and reliability, NVIDIA has implemented an integrated quality management system based on best known methods and standards \(e.g., ISO9001:2015\). This commitment expresses itself throughout our processes: from managerial procedures, through development and operating practices, to testing and monitoring of output.
NVIDIA’s commitment to Quality extends across every employee and into every aspect of our business including semiconductor, system, cable, and software design and manufacturing. The overarching goal is to supply our customers with the best solutions and guarantee their satisfaction. In order to ensure robust, simple and elegant solutions, NVIDIA follows these major principles:
 * Use proven technologies
 * Design for test, manufacturability and reliability
 * Design with margins
 * Strive for zero defects
 * Work with best-in-class manufacturing partners
 * Provide close customer support
 * Maintain a culture of quality and continuous improvement
 * Predict and ensure repetitive high quality results
### Quality at NVIDIA -- Quality As A Way Of Life
NVIDIA has established a Quality Management System that provides a management framework spanning all activities - from product development to high volume manufacturing - through which NVIDIA achieves its goals of high product quality, highest customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement in all aspects of company business. At NVIDIA we believe that good quality also results in lower costs.
To ensure the best quality, reliability and interoperability of its products, NVIDIA maintains a most advanced and comprehensive testing environment, including in-house testing labs. This environment enables running real applications and verifying their "end-to-end" performance, and thus guarantees that NVIDIA delivers most reliable and compatible products.
NVIDIA employs a three-pronged approach in devising and administering continuous improvement activities:
 * **Leveraging on first-tier vendors’ systems**
By using mature mainstream manufacturing processes, NVIDIA achieves lower defect densities and better process quality and reliability.
 * **Proactive internal quality control**
NVIDIA tracks key performance and quality parameters to monitor and alert for deviations from healthy behavior. Moreover, all changes are closely monitored and approved through a special Change Control Board \(CCB\) to ensure no impact on quality.

NVIDIA also runs a well-defined Supplier Management process, which includes the identification and selection of suppliers with the capability to meet NVIDIA needs and requirements. The process also determines the criteria for selection, evaluation and qualification of suppliers.
 * **Reactive damage containment, recovery and root-cause identification**
NVIDIA implements Customer Corrective Action Report \(CCAR\) procedures and conducts postmortem activities for completed projects and discovered issues.
NVIDIA incorporates principles of customer-perceived quality as part of NVIDIA's quality system by learning customer quality and reliability expectations. Moreover, upon customer line fallouts, data is collected and analyzed in order to implement/suggest corrective and preventive actions. Changes to our products are communicated to customers through Product Change Notifications \(PCNs\). Various reports of characterization, reliability tests, and qualification are available to our customers.
Customer satisfaction is measured throughout key performance parameters, interaction with customers, and annual customer surveys.
### ISO Certification
Since 2008, NVIDIA has been undergoing annual ISO audits by the Standards Institution of Israel to ensure that NVIDIA's design, development and supply of ICs, electronic boards and systems, and interconnect products are in compliance with the Quality Management Standard SI ISO 9001. To view the ISO certification of NVIDIA, [click here](https://images.nvidia.com/aem-dam/Solutions/networking/ISO-9001-2015-Certification.pdf).
Information Security management system of NVIDIA is certified for ISO.IEC 27001:2013 - click [here](https://images.nvidia.com/aem-dam/Solutions/networking/ISO-27001-cert.pdf).
Environmental Management system is certified for ISO 14001:2015 - [click to view the certification](https://www.nvidia.com/content/dam/en-zz/Solutions/networking/quality/Environmental-Management-System-Certificate-ISO-14001-2015.pdf).
### Reliability
The maturity of NVIDIA products is characterized by a comprehensive qualification matrix of three levels that correlates to manufacturing volumes. These qualification levels are based on system validation confidence level, production test coverage, device characterization, and exhaustive reliability testing.
NVIDIA IC devices are designed and tested for reliability in accordance to JEDEC standards. IC life-time and MTBF predictions are performed for hardware failures \(e.g., HTOL and Temp Cycle\) and for soft error rates \(of the single device and in large clusters\).
NVIDIA systems are designed and tested for reliability in accordance to IPC standards. Reliability demonstration tests such as DVT, EVT, HALT, and HASS, are performed to predict product performance, robustness, life-time and MTBF.
### Environment
NVIDIA has an integrated history of environmental commitment and continues to advance its environmental policy. All of NVIDIA's manufacturing partners are ISO 14001 certified.
NVIDIA is committed to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and to ensure that its products are under the following directives:
 * Restriction of Hazardous Substances \(RoHS\) directives
 * Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals \(REACH\)
 * Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment \(WEEE\) directive
 * International standards for safety and electromagnetic radiation
For environmental compliance statements, please visit the [NVIDIA Environmental and Regulatory page](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/networking/environmental-and-regulatory-compliance/).
To obtain certificates or reports of environmental compliance for NVIDIA products, please submit a request either by opening a customer support ticket or by sending
email to [EC-DataRequest@nvidia.com](mailto:EC-DataRequest@nvidia.com).
NVIDIA's products enable the design of green datacenters, with power management for energy savings.
### Environment Safety and Health \(ESH\) Policy
NVIDIA is committed to provide a safe and healthful workplace, protect the environment and work to conserve energy and natural resources. Below is a summary of NVIDIA's EHS Policy.

Provide a safe and healthful workplace
Comply with all applicable health and safety regulations
Promote safety, health and well being
Conserve natural resources:
 * Minimize pollution of air and water, and the use of pollutant substances
 * Minimize waste and dispose of waste safely and responsibly
 * Ensure responsible and conservative use of energy throughout our business
Develop energy efficient products that are safe for the environment; can be reused, recycled or safely disposed
Work with 1st-tier manufacturers that comply with ISO14001
Establish programs to increase safety, health and environmental quality:
 * Fulfill regulatory and industry requirements to the fullest
 * Continuously improve environmental protection and awareness
### Waste Management
**WEEE Directive \(2002/96/EC\)**
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive \(WEEE\) applies to companies that manufacture, sell, distribute, recycle or treat electrical and electronic equipment to consumers in the European Union \(EU\). It covers all large and small household appliances, IT equipment, radio and audio equipment, electrical tools and telecommunications equipment. The directive aims to reduce the waste arising from electrical and electronic equipment and to improve the environmental performance of all those involved in the life cycle of these products.
**WEEE Recycling/Disposal Instructions**
NVIDIA products are within the WEEE directive under B2B IT and telecommunications equipment category. The Wheelie Bin symbol found on the product or in the owners manual indicates that this product must not be disposed of with other waste. For product waste disposal, please contact your local distributor or reseller. For dismantling instructions for recycling, please visit the product documentation site at <https://docs.nvidia.com/networking/>.

### Social Responsibility
NVIDIA gives high priority to various aspects of sustainability - economic, environmental and societal. Kindly check our [Corporate Social Responsibility](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/csr/) for details.