Your storeroom or storage unit is packed with old electronics. Your business no longer needs them, but you also know that disposing of them isn’t going to be as quick and easy as you’d hope. Most businesses possess PII (personally identifiable information) and SPII (sensitive personally identifiable information) on hard drives, printers, copiers, etc. That information is damaging in the wrong hands.
When you partner with the wrong electronics recycling company, the potential for theft and fraud is great. It damages your company’s reputation, leads to hefty fines and legal expenses, and can force you into bankruptcy. Is it worth it? Choosing the right electronics recycling partner is vital in today’s world, and e-Stewards and R2 certifications are two things to look for to ensure you pick the best ITAD and e-waste partner.
e-Stewards Explained
Organizations holding e-Stewards certification do more than what’s expected. They go above and beyond to be the best of the best in electronics recycling and refurbishment. Sustainability and responsibility in recycling practices commitments. There are nine steps to getting e-Stewards certification as a processor.
- Schedule a call to get answers to questions and learn more about the program.
- Submit an e-Stewards application by filling out your company’s name, contact information, and electronics recycling activities.
- Downloading and studying the e-Stewards Standard.
- Analyzing anything your company isn’t currently doing that is required by the e-Stewards Standard.
- Improve your facility to meet the requirements.
- Schedule audits with an authorized independent certifying body.
- Pass the audit to receive NAID AAA Certification.
- Complete two more audit stages for e-Stewards and either ISO 14001 or RIOS.
- Complete the licensing agreement and pay the annual licensing fee.
There are also enterprise partners who ensure that they source all materials from e-Stewards processors. They strive for a circular economy and responsible e-waste management. The e-Stewards certifications work to protect and ensure the following as stated in the e-Stewards Standard:
- Data Security: Achieved through NAID AAA certification and focuses on security at the facility, physical security of electronics containing data, and background checks of all employees who handle components containing data.
- Downstream Due Diligence: Complete vetting of all downstream vendors to ensure they handle e-waste recycling and refurbishing legally, securely, and properly while also protecting the environment.
- Legal Transboundary Movements: The Basel Convention rules and regulations regarding international shipments of hazardous materials are followed by the facility and downstream vendors.
- Proper Reuse and Refurbishment: End-of-life recycling and refurbishment follows all aspects of the e-Stewards Standard and complies with data security, lawful transboundary movements, and testing rules.
- Internal and External Communications: Communications with vendors, employees, and companies hiring the facility to recycle and refurbish electronics follow requirements and are transparent.
- Continuous Improvement: As the e-Stewards Standard changes, a company must keep up-to-date and change facility procedures and policies at the same time.
- Environmental Management Systems (EMS): Organizations that hold e-Stewards certification must also hold and maintain ISO 14001 or RIOS-based environmental management systems (EMS).
- Scope: The Basel Convention is the foundational guide for forming e-Stewards programs, but it’s not the only one. The e-Stewards Standard and certification program are designed to allow companies to improve compliance and reduce risk to employees, people around the world, and the environment. Any company holding e-Stewards needs to ensure they’re constantly changing to keep within that scope.
The e-Stewards Standard includes all of the following verifications to ensure those benefits are met.
- Compliance with ISO 14001 or RIOS Environmental Management Systems
- Compliance with the Basel Convention
- Critical Non-Conformity Policy with investigations as needed
- GPS tracking with EarthEye technology
- Surprise inspections by conformity assurance managers
Plus, there is the NAID AAA Certification to ensure the following is met:
- 24/7 video surveillance
- Designated data access for facility employees
- Forensic examination of all hard drives
- Secured, fenced areas
- Surprise site security checks
Reuse and repair (refurbishment) are key concerns that are protected by e-Steward. There’s a list of metals and other materials that must be recycled properly to keep e-Steward certification. It also requires facilities to adhere to International Law and stop dumping e-waste in other areas of the world.
With e-Steward, the environment and people living around the world are protected from both pollution and data leaks. When facilities follow the rules set forth by e-Stewards, fraud and theft of data from unused electronic devices ends. As technology changes, so do the policies and rules of e-Stewards, so it’s an always-changing structure that keeps people, data, and the environment safe.
R2 Explained
R2 is a Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) standard specific to used electronics. Its four keys are:
- Test
- Repair
- Reuse
- Recycle
Before items are recycled, they are tested and refurbished, when possible, to get as much use from them as possible. The goal of this, however, is to allow flexibility and not be a set of rigid rules that don’t fit every company.
As of June 2020, ERI adopted the third version of the R2 Standard – R2v3. It’s designed to protect data, encourage reuse, and improve outcomes with end-of-life electronics. This is done through the certification programs “Core Requirements” and “Process Requirements.”
The 10 Core Requirements:
- Scope: Identify and then certify materials and equipment for processing.
- Hierarchy of Responsible Management Strategies: Prioritize all end-of-life electronics to be reused and refurbished before recycling.
- Environmental, Health, and Safety Management System: Choose and maintain a certified EHSMS for your electronics recycling company.
- Legal Requirements: Comply with all laws in terms of employment, environmental, safety, and data security.
- Tracking: Track and manage every stage of electronics sent to your facility and processed within your recycling facility.
- Sorting, Categorizing, and Processing: Follow R2 guidelines for evaluating, sorting, and categorizing all electronics you receive.
- Data Security: Keeping data secure at all stages is essential. This includes wiping or sanitizing all data on data storage devices like computers, laptops, smartphones, etc.
- Focus Materials: Focus Materials must be handled and processed using methods that protect workers, the public, and the environment. Lead and mercury are examples of Focus Materials.
- Facility Requirements: Your facility must meet R2 policies on processing and storing electronics.
- Transport: Transportation from a business or warehouse to a recycling facility needs to be handled in a manner that focuses on security and responsibility. Real-time tracking is an important part of transportation.
Process Requirements
Because R2 allows for customization and flexibility, there are also specialty process requirements. If your facility offers any of the following specializations, there are additional processes.
- Downstream Recycling Chain: Downstream vendors also must follow R2 guidelines.
- Data Sanitization: R2v3 offers internal data security standards to ensure effective data sanitization requirements like physical destruction or logical sanitization.
- Test and Repair: Electronics are tested to see if they could have a second life through refurbishment.
- Specialty Electronics: Not every electronic that’s recycled is a standard consumer item. There are specialty items like MRIs and EKGs that require special handling.
- Materials Recovery: The materials that are recovered need to be safely removed and recovered. Lead, mercury, and lithium-ion batteries require special handling to be recovered in ways that protect the environment and keep workers safe.
- Brokering: When brokers are used, they must be responsible and follow the same R2 guidelines.
- Photovoltaic (PV) Modules: Solar panels and their components are becoming a high-demand energy component for recycling. Only a handful of facilities are capable of recycling PV modules for reuse and recycling.
Before a company receives R2 certification, they complete these steps.
- Education through online training videos and guides.
- Implement any requirements that are not already in place and use an EHSMS system.
- A collection of records and evidence through testing and digital or paper records that are available for audits.
- An internal audit that ensures you’re following every area R2 focuses on.
- An audit from a SERI-approved certification body.
- Annual audits to maintain your certification.
Use Those Credentials to Choose the Right Electronics Recycling Partner
That’s what e-Stewards and R2 cover, and those regulations are what recycling partners promise as they pass audits to get those certifications. It’s a lot of work, and that assures you that any electronics you have picked up at your office or shipped to the facility through a secure transportation option.
ERI holds both R2 and e-Stewards certifications and several others. We also partner with downstream vendors like Best Buy and Staples for convenient electronics recycling. Reach out to us to learn more about these and our other certifications.