Third Party Certifications: Best Practices in Electronics Recycling

Many companies have become increasingly concerned with sustainability and environmental stewardship as the “green” movement has swept over corporate America. At the same time, both Federal and State governments have passed comprehensive legislation to both protecting the environment and ensure data privacy. The increasing volume of end-of-life electronics, coupled with the proliferation of product “take-back” programs, have boosted market demand for IT asset disposal services. In response, the number of electronics recyclers has increased dramatically.

However stringent the restrictions, the evening news is still full of horror stories of broken equipment winding up in overseas landfills and sensitive data inadvertently released to the public by careless or unscrupulous recyclers. How then can a consumer achieve peace of mind knowing that a company’s end-of-life electronics are being disposed of in a secure and environmentally responsible manner?

One answer to this problem is insisting on having the electronics recycling vendor be certified by an accredited third party. While these certification programs have variations, they all share the following characteristics:

1. The ability to provide an all-encompassing “seal of approval”
2. An emphasis on Total Quality Management (“TQM”) and/or ISO9001
3. The presences of an Environmental Management System and/or ISO 14001
4. Compliance with Health, Safety, and Security standards
5. Periodic audits by an independent third-party

Firms seeking RIOS certification must undergo a formal, objective examination by an accredited third-party auditor. Participating companies are evaluated on a variety of criteria related to environmental management systems, quality programs, business performance and financial stability, employee health and safety programs, security systems, and overall operations management. The audits are performed by SGS, a company involved in registration to international quality and environmental standards. SGS employs more than 59,000 employees and operates over 1,000 offices and laboratories worldwide.

Another certification specifically focused on electronics recycling best practices and facilitated by the EPA, is R2 – “Responsible Recycling”. Initially started in 2006, R2 has an unmatched open and multi-stakeholder development process. Representatives from the manufacturing sector (Dell/HP), electronics recyclers, asset recovery/ITAD firms, state and federal government agencies, and trade associations (including the Consumer Electronics Association, and International Association of Electronics Recyclers) were all involved in developing the next generation electronics recycling standard.

The R2 standard emphasizes reuse before recycle, prohibition of illegal exports, domestic, implementation of an environmental management system, and the identification and proper management of “focus materials” that pose a potential threat to the environment. R2 is a fully vetted and accredited standard that is audited by registrars that perform ISO auditing services such SGS, and Perry Johnson Registrars.

A final standard worth noting is the AAA Certification that is managed by the National Association for Information Destruction (“NAID”). This standard was developed by NAID specifically for companies that provide computer hard drive destruction and sanitization services. The program’s auditors verify the physical security of sanitization facilities, chain of custody, and audit trail. In addition, a separate independent forensic testing lab verifies the effectiveness of the quality control and overwriting process. To date NAID has certified more than 360 member locations that provide physical destruction of media, but has only recently developed a separate certification program for companies who sanitize computer hard drives.

Dag Adamson, President

R2 Solutions to Manage Comprehensive R2 Certification

R2 Solutions Launched as New Non-Profit Organization for Managing Comprehensive R2 Certification Practices Program for Responsible Recycling of Electronic Scrap

Washington, D.C. — The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc (ISRI) and its more than 1,550 members join in supporting the announcement of the creation of R2 Solutions, a stand-alone, non-profit organization formed to manage and continually develop the Responsible Recycling (R2) Certified Electronics Recycler^® Program within the Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS).

R2 Solutions will oversee the R2 Practices which provides a comprehensive set of standards for electronics recyclers that require responsible management of used computers and consumer electronics.  The R2 Practices, were developed under the aegis of an EPA facilitated, multi-stakeholder process that has been accredited by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board as a third party auditable global standard.

To date, there are 21 electronics recycling facilities certified to the R2 Practices – a set of requirements that establishes a high bar for quality, environmental protection, health & safety, and data security, and that precludes shipping of hazardous materials to countries that have laws prohibiting their import.

“ISRI, as one of the original supporters of the R2 Practices, applauds the creation of R2 Solutions as a stand-alone, non-profit organization, whose sole purpose is to manage and sustainably develop the R2 Practices in an open, transparent manner,” stated Robin Wiener, president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).  “We firmly believe that a neutral, third-party organization such as R2 Solutions is a more appropriate administrator of the R2 Program going forward, and we [ISRI] look forward to its progress in advancing responsible electronics recycling globally.”

The newly created R2 Solutions body will manage continual development of R2 Practices, with standards development and stakeholder consultations on R2 Practices publicly available.  A full set of standards is available at www.r2solutions.org.

With the creation of R2 Solutions, a governance structure embraced by the EPA, vendors can now have confidence that used electronic equipment is being recycled safely and responsibly by accredited recyclers.

R2 Solutions will act as the Secretariat for the R2 Standard, and the governing council empanelled by R2 Solutions will operate under a set of bylaws that will require a decision-making forum, including an appeals process, in which all interested stakeholders may participate. T

he Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries and its more than 1,550 members represents over 350 electronics refurbishers and recyclers ISRI has been a charter member of the R2 efforts since its inception and offers R2 certification as part of its Certified Electronics Recycler^® Program.  (www.CertifiedElectronicsRecycler.com)

 

LifeSpan Achieves R2/RIOS and ISO 14001:2004 Certifications

Becomes the only company to hold four key certifications

Newton, MA – September 28, 2010 – LifeSpan Technology Recycling announced today that it has achieved R2/RIOS and ISO 14001:2004 certifications at all of its North American processing facilities, making it one of only four companies nationwide to achieve both of these rigorous designations.  LifeSpan was audited for compliance with these standards by SGS, an independent third-party certification body accredited by ANAB, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board.  In addition, LifeSpan is already certified for electronic data sanitization by the National Association For Information Destruction (“NAID”) and is a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher.  The company’s achievement of all four designations  represents a unique accomplishment in the IT Asset Disposal (“ITAD”) industry.

R2/RIOS is the most comprehensive certification program in the ITAD industry.  It combines the Recycling Industry Operating Standard (“RIOS”) certification developed by the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries (“ISRI”) with the Responsible Recycling (“R2”) practices facilitated by the Environmental Protection Agency and key stakeholders.  Companies achieving R2/RIOS certification are designated as “Certified Electronics Recyclers®”.  ISO 14000 is a global standard for environmental management systems.  The aim of the standard is to reduce the environmental footprint of a business and to decrease the pollution and waste that a business produces.

“Our achievement of the R2/RIOS and ISO 14001:2004 certifications further underscore LifeSpan’s commitment to state-of-the-art quality, environmental, and health & safety management systems,” stated LifeSpan President Dag Adamson.  “Many electronics recycling companies fail to uphold their claims of transparency and accountability. This creates risk for organizations that believe they are sending equipment to someone who will recycle it appropriately.  Independent third-party certifications, such as R2/RIOS and ISO 14001:2004 provide customers with external assurance that their recycler’s assertions are legitimate.”

“We are very pleased that LifeSpan Technology Recycling has become the newest Certified Electronics Recycler®.   The company’s commitment to responsible electronics recycling is another testament to the growing numbers of recyclers doing the right thing by adopting this forward-looking program designed to protect worker health, safety, and the environment,” stated Robin Wiener, president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

Information about RIOS can be found on ISRI’s website:

https://www.isri.org/RIOS

The R2 standard can be found at the US EPA’s web site:

http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/ecycling/r2practices.htm

Certified Electronics Recycler® facilities are listed at:

http://www.certifiedelectronicsrecycler.com

About LifeSpan Technology Recycling:

Founded in 2002, LifeSpan Technology Recycling is a managed services company that provides electronic asset retirement services to corporations, municipalities, and not-for profit organizations nationwide.  LifeSpan offers companies and organizations the flexibility of handling large quantities of equipment with a customized program. We also manage a full range of end-of-life information security issues for our clients.  LifeSpan works exclusively with EPA-registered and regulation-compliant partners to maintain the highest standards of environmental protection and ethical business practices.

About SGS Group:

SGS North America is a member of the SGS Group, a global Control and Inspection company, represented in more than 130 countries by 210 affiliated companies.   SGS is the world’s leading certification body for management systems.  The company conducts management system audits including RIOS, R2, ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 for the recycling industry.  SGS auditors are certified to RIOS and R2 and cross-trained to other QEH&S management systems.

About ISRI:

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. is the non-profit trade association that is the “Voice of the Recycling Industry.”  Based in Washington, D.C., ISRI represents more than 1,600 private and public for-profit companies that process, broker, and industrially consume scrap commodities, including ferrous and nonferrous metals, paper, electronics, rubber, plastics, glass, and textiles. ISRI members employ more than 50,000 individuals and operate at more than 3,000 facilities worldwide, more than 80 percent of which are located in the United States.

Click here for the Press Release

Comedy shows harsh reality about e-waste

We doubt the writers of Futurama find the exporting of e-waste to be a funny issue, but in the video below they use humor to help bring the harsh reality of exporting e-waste to light:

Futurama on e-waste

While there has been a great deal of progress in preventing the exportation of e-waste, especially with R2/RIOS and e-Stewards, there still is a lot of work to be done.

An actual video of e-waste dumping in Ghana:

Frontline: Digital Dumping Ground – Ghana

Government Recycling Programs Fall Short

In this piece on NextGov.com, Emily Long details how “Contractors responsible for recycling government computers and other electronic equipment aren’t held accountable to certification standards and environmental regulations”.  The issue has been brought to the attention of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, who has “asked EPA for details on its plan to enforce recycling regulations and for more information about audits and inspections of e-waste recyclers. Towns asked GSA to explain the criteria used to select recycling contractors and whether it plans to issue new guidance for safe disposal certification.”

Long noted that only 2 of 60 e-waste recyclers in the GSA’s Schedule 899-5 meet the criteria for the EPA’s new responsible recycling program, R2.

If you would like more information on R2/RIOS, please email: info@lifespanrecycling.com.