Recycling Center & Outlet Store

Promoting sustainability within business practices

Socket Mobile strives to be a responsible global citizen for all our partners. We actively work to minimize our products' long-term impact on the environment by offering recycling and trade-in opportunities for old units and encouraging our customers to take advantage of these programs. By working together, we can do our part to mitigate global climate change while also ensuring access to top-of-the-line, efficient data capture solutions.

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Recycle Old Unit

Send in your old, unwanted unit to be properly recycled.

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Shop

Purchase refurbished data readers or accessories.

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Trade-In

Send in your old unit for cash back on a new data reader of your choice.

How we do it

  • Our shipping boxes are 100% recyclable, uncolored, and free of dyeing chemicals.

  • We do not include USB charging adaptors with purchases, as most businesses already have more than enough.

  • Customers can return unwanted or defective products via our Companion app. We recycle these products by repairing and reselling them through our Recycling Products Program or sending them to environmentally responsible recycling organizations. We communicate regularly with these organizations to improve our products' recyclability.

  • In the office, we have eliminated paper coffee cups and provide each employee their own coffee cup for daily use.

Simple changes make a lasting difference. Socket Mobile continues to implement improvements to create a planet worth passing on to the next generation. If you have any suggestions, please email us at environment@socketmobile.com.

Learn more about our ISO Certification.

Environmental compliance

The 2002/95/EC Directive on the Restriction of the use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (the RoHS Directive) prohibits products sold in European markets from containing certain levels of Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Polybrominated Biphenyls, Polybrominated Diphenyl Esters or Lead, including lead solder.

The EMEA region is shipped only RoHS-compliant products.

  • Socket Mobile products also comply with EU regulations concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). For more information, click here.

    What does “producer” mean?

    “Producer” is a defined term within the WEEE directive and encompasses all organizations that import WEEE into an EC country. Because Socket Mobile manufactures almost exclusively outside of the EC, almost all Socket Mobile products destined for the EC have to be imported. All organizations that import Socket Mobile products into an EC country will be “Producers” within the meaning of the WEEE Directive.

    Example 1: A Socket Mobile product is imported into Germany by Socket Mobile, then sold to a re-seller in Germany, and finally installed in Germany. In this case, Socket Mobile is the producer. Currently, Socket Mobile has no legal presence in any EMEA country.

    Example 2: A Socket Mobile product is drop-shipped to a distributor in Belgium who arranges import, sold on to a re-seller in Portugal, and finally installed in Portugal. Both the re-seller in Portugal and the distributor in Belgium will be producers in their respective countries.

    What is Socket Mobile actually doing?

    Products put on the market on or after August 13, 2005, are required to be marked with the crossed-through recycling bin symbol and identification that it was put on the market on or after this date. Socket Mobile has now completed this labeling change process. All our WEEE products also have a date of manufacture on the labeling that will identify when the product was put on the market.

    Socket Mobile is making available information for WEEE-authorized recycling to assist with the process of recycling. Socket Mobile has also established relationships with recycling organizations to help provide compliant recycling services, minimize the costs of recycling, and, in time, help reduce the environmental impact of our products with feedback from our recycling partners that will lead to improved product design.

    Socket Mobile also implements simple practices in our everyday activities. Shipping boxes remain uncolored, without white dying chemicals, so they can maintain recyclability. Our packages do not include charging adaptors because many people have their own adaptors and are likely to throw away extras we may provide, thus adding to the waste pileup.

    What is the process for returning products in EMEA?

    Socket Mobile partners have the option either to set up their own scheme to handle collection and recycling or to join a national compliance scheme that will take on their responsibility as producers. Socket Mobile will work closely with its partners to share any information and experience that will assist them with their compliance.

  • The 2002/96/EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (the WEEE Directive) mandates that new equipment placed on the market within Europe be easily broken down or recycled at the end of the life cycle.

    Socket Mobile fully supports and is committed to complying with the EC WEEE directives. In order to provide an equitable and consistent level of support to all of our partners, we have established the following policy:

    In those countries where Socket Mobile has a legal presence and is directly importing WEEE products into one of our EC subsidiaries prior to the sale and distribution to our end customer or partner, the local Socket Mobile subsidiary will formally register as a “producer” in that country and provide an end-of-life waste management service through an authorized provider. In those EC countries where Socket Mobile does not import WEEE products and ships to a distribution partner, the importing distribution partner (due to their legal presence and local establishment) will be responsible for statutory WEEE obligations for those WEEE products they import. In order to assist our distribution partners with WEEE compliance, Socket Mobile will label all current products with the required WEEE symbol and provide access to product-specific recycling information.

  • To identify RoHS-compliance on Socket Mobile product packaging, look to the top right-hand corner of the box ID label.

    The RoHS directive restricts the use of specific dangerous substances that are often used in electronic equipment. Socket Mobile is RoHS compliant.

    To identify RoHS-compliance on products after the packaging has been removed, please contact Socket Mobile customer support.