John Shegerian, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of ERI, the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States, is pointing to several global trends that are causing what he refers to as “seismic shifts in the industry.”

At the rapid rate that technology is improving, businesses, government agencies, and individuals are all upgrading to the latest and greatest faster than ever before in history. This has produced a tremendous glut of unwanted electronics containing toxic elements that historically end up in landfills. Meanwhile, hardware hacking has become an epidemic and companies, individuals and even government agencies, have become vulnerable to data breaches and attacks.

“Several unstoppable business and societal trends are causing, and will continue to cause, spiking numbers in electronics turnover and are also causing changes in the way these devices must be handled,” said Shegerian. “This includes the desire for sustainability and an adherence to circular economy principles; the need for cybersecurity and hardware data destruction that adheres to the most stringent global data and privacy protection laws; and the impending 4G to 5G switchover — potentially the greatest device-turnover sparking event since analog was switched out to digital. These factors mean that the tsunami of e-waste has no end in sight, and that is causing massive changes in the way our industry is handling unwanted electronics.”

While other North American businesses in the industry have closed their doors, ERI is uniquely positioned to handle the changes the industry is undergoing. It is now the largest company in its industry and the only major player that is privately owned by its four co-founders. ERI creates custom solutions for all of its clients, regardless of size. The efficient, responsible practices of ITAD, data destruction, and recycling with circular economy principles firmly in place is ERI’s focus, while offering many a la carte solutions for related needs such as custom redeployment and data center decommission.

“For the majority of companies in our industry,” added Shegerian, “ITAD, data destruction and sustainable recycling are merely a small part of their business, while at ERI it is our core. We are hyper-focused on what we do, and we service every zip code in the nation. We also recognize that many enterprise organizations require a global footprint of services outside the U.S. Through our global network, we routinely manage the disposition process for clients across the globe.”

Shegerian also noted that ERI is certified by both R2 and Basel Action Network’s E-Stewards to de-manufacture, recycle and refurbish every type of electronic waste in an environmentally responsible manner. Plus, ERI is also AAA certified by NAID – the highest standard of data destruction and privacy protection in the industry – at all of its facilities.

ERI’s team of professionals can be reached via our Contact Us page or 1-800-ERI-DIRECT.