“The evolution and adoption of responsible electronics recycling practices made an important transition today as the Basel Action Network formally sunsetted the Pledged e-Stewards Recyclers program on September 1, 2011.  Established in 2003, the Pledge program was the first widely recognized initiative designed to identify electronics recyclers committed to globally responsible e-waste management practices.  Toay marks its official and full replacement by the Certified e-Stewards® Recyclers program,” according to the Basel Action Network.

“In 2003, the world was just waking up to the horrors of e-waste export and the dire need for a means of separating good recyclers from bad recyclers,” said Roman. “I’m amazed the basic tenets of the Pledge program, identified by BAN eight years ago, provided the foundation for what are now globally accepted principles of responsible e-recycling.  The new e-Stewards Recycler Certification is even more comprehensive and accountable – really the gold standard,” said Lauren Roman, BAN’s e-Stewards Business Director.

For more information, visit www.e-Stewards.org.
 

The Intercon scandal, which now is being litigated in court, presented a unique challenge for R2 Solutions and the Responsible Recycling standard – what to do when a certified recycler is accused of massive wrongdoing. The challenge – and the response so far – could lead to significant changes in how the certification is administered, R2 Solutions’ board of directors said.

At the time, R2 Solutions, which administers the R2 standard, removed, or in their words “delisted” the company from the directory of R2-certified recyclers.

Now, the R2 board of directors has sent a letter to the Technical Advisory Committee, requesting help in developing policies and procedures in dealing with similar crises if and when they arise in the future.

“We, the R2 Solutions Board of Directors, believe it is essential that both the Board and the TAC do everything in our collective means to maintain and strengthen the integrity of the R2 Standard. R2 is a new brand and industry opinion is still unsettled about whether it firmly demands and demonstrates responsible recycling. We must do everything we can to ensure that it does.”

The board said it would explore, and maybe implement, changes to R2 and how it is administered.

This includes strong language laying out precisely what is required of certified recyclers an certifying bodies auditing the recyclers.

“Certifying bodies should be able to act decisively if it appears that a requirement is not being met—at any point during the three-year certification cycle. And R2 Solutions needs to be able to work collaboratively with the CBs in these instances,” the board of directors write in their letter.

A policy for dealing with non-conformances must be put in place, the board wrote, that will:

• Fully protect the integrity of the R2 standard while providing due process to the facility,
• Articulates the role and responsibilities of the certifying bodies, and
• Describes the actions R2 Solutions will take in such situations.

In the letter, the R2 Solutions board of directors seeks guidance and input from R2 stakeholders.

Current members of the R2 Solutions board are:

John DeVillars, who works in the area of renewable energy as Managing Partner of BlueWave Capital.  The Regional Administrator for New England during President Clinton’s EPA, he served as co-Chair of EPA’s national Common Sense Initiative Advisory Group for the electronics industry.

John Howard is currently working as an independent public policy consultant after a distinguished career in the field of law.  During the Bush Administration, he served as the Federal Environmental Executive and went on to chair EPA’s National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology.

John Lingelbach is a nationally-recognized environmental mediator who is currently serving as Acting Executive Director of R2 Solutions. From 2006 through 2008, he facilitated the multi-stakeholder development of the R2 Practices.

Pete Regan is currently working with private-equity backed companies and with several non-profits. Previously, he served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of ERM, Inc., the world’s leading global provider of EHS, risk and social consulting services.

Lynn Rubinstein is the Executive Director of the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) for the past 11 years. NERC’s mission is to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services.

In addition to the Neuvo Leon facility, Glezco operates additional e-recycling plants in Guadalajara, Jalisco and Tijuana, Baja California in Mexico. These operations are also undergoing certification, as required under the e-Stewards program.

“We are thrilled to welcome the first Mexican e-Stewards recycler.  The global expansion of the e-Stewards program is essential for servicing the needs of the world’s most responsible multi-national corporations,” said Jim Puckett, Executive Director of BAN.

e-Stewards Certification ensures compliance with the international Basel Convention and its decisions as it prohibits toxic components contained in corporate electronic assets from finding their way to developing countries.  Mexico is a Party to the Basel Convention.

Glezco also holds ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001 certificates and has achieved the Clean Industry Certification by SEMARNAT, a voluntary program ensuring compliance with Mexico’s federal environmental laws.

Established in 1992, Glezco serves large enterprises in a wide range of industries in Mexico recycling a large amount of consumer and corporate electronic scrap and equipment.

“Glezco has a long-standing commitment to best practices but we felt that the e-Stewards Certification was essential for ensuring our customers that their hazardous e-waste and sensitive data will be properly managed,” said Horacio Gonzalez, CEO of Glezco.  “It was hard work but we are very proud of holding the distinction of having passed the test of the industry’s gold standard.”

For more information on the company visit: http://glezcocorp.com.mx

R2 Solutions is a non-profit organization formed to administer and promote the R2 Standard. R2 Solutions is responsible for promoting the standard, encouraging e-recyclers to become certified to R2, educating the public about responsible e-recycling and providing administrative support to the R2 multi-stakeholder Technical Advisory Committee.

This week Technology Conservation Group, Inc. became the first electronics recycling company to attain certification for a facility in Europe, the organization said. And with two newly-certified facilities in Mexico as well, the company joins Sims and GEEP in growing adoption of the Standard beyond the reach of the U.S., and throughout the North American continent.

“The experience of these companies in applying the principles of the R2 Standard internationally really highlights one of the Standard’s most important strengths, which is the fact that it creates a set of best practices that can be applied anywhere in the world,” notes John Lingelbach, Acting Executive Director of R2 Solutions. “And that is certainly the ultimate goal of those who support the R2 Standard, to promote responsible electronics recycling practices, for everyone, everywhere without exception.”

Under Provision 3 of the R2 Standard, recyclers are required to demonstrate conformance to all applicable national and international laws. The wording of the R2 Standard allows it to be compatible with all regulatory environments. This unique approach to incorporating regulatory compliance into the R2 Standard also means that certified recyclers are required to implement regulatory changes as they are made and the Standard is always current to those regulations. “This particular aspect of the R2 Standard makes it a very agile one that easily accommodates the evolution of regulation, and promotes continued compliance,” Lingelbach said.

In addition to the TCG facilities in Mexico and the UK, and the Sims and GEEP facilities in Canada, the list of international R2 certified facilities is expected to grow rapidly. Certification bodies report having additional facilities under contract in Asia and Europe. R2 Solutions expects to have more than 125 R2 certified recyclers listed by the end of the year, spanning at least three continents.

For more information visit www.r2solutions.org.

R2 is a stringent set of requirements for electronics recyclers. The standard includes requirements for environmental, worker health and safety, and security practices.

“We took the R2 Certification very seriously and put strict deadlines on implementation.” said Steve Skurnac, President of Sims Recycling Solutions, Americas. “These standards are a great way for businesses and consumers to recognize that their electronics are going to an environmentally responsible recycler. We have proven the environmental, health and safety commitment of Sims through our recent accomplishment of our North American R2 certifications.”

Other than the two recently opened facilities in Mississauga, Ontario and Edison, N.J., all SRS sites in North America now hold the R2 Certification. These new facilities are targeted to be certified in the next six months.

Sims Recycling Solutions also holds certifications for ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007.

Sims Recycling Solutions (www.us.simsrecycling.com) recycles electrical and electronics from 42 sites across the globe. In North America, Sims Recycling Solutions operates 13 sites in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Ontario, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The company was also listed as a company that pledged to become an e-Steward and, according to BAN, was in the process of applying for certification.

BAN’s e-Stewards certification, among other requirements, prohibits the exportation of non-working electronics to developing nations. Jim Puckett, director of BAN, said the organization had proof the company attempted to export two containers of waste CRTs to China through Hong Kong.

“It is very sad that many e-Waste recycling companies continue to pose as “responsible recyclers” while they continue to export toxic,” said Basel Action Network’s Executive Director, Jim Puckett. “In this case, we can take some satisfaction that our e-Stewards Certification screening methods and audit caught what BAN has every reason to believe is a violator.”

“R2 Solutions is communicating with the certification body (CB) that certified Intercon Solutions.  The CB will undergo an assessment of the matter and determine an appropriate course of action,” according to a press release issued by R2 Solutions. “R2 Solutions took this action after reviewing information strongly suggesting Intercon Solutions violated key provisions of the R2 Standard.  R2 Solutions took this “delisting” action pending consideration of the matter by the R2 Solutions Board of Directors, which will occur later this week. This information was gathered by the Basel Action Network and shared with R2 Solutions.  It documents alleged violations of law concerning the export of Focus Materials. The Basel Action Network derived its information from observations, shipment tracking, and communications with the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department.

The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

For more information visit: www.ban.org, www.e-Stewards.org and www.r2solutions.org.

The company said its facilities were visited more than 12 times over an 8 month period for onsite process audits and other visits to gain certification.

“Maven Technologies is helping lead the way in the electronics recycling industry and has invested significantly to ensure that recycling is done the right way – responsibly and safely,” said Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) President Robin Wiener.

“Being a Certified Electronics Recycler shows our commitment,” said Todd Wheaton, Vice President of Maven Technologies. “Even though the audit process was long and arduous, we already had many of the procedures and processes in place making the certification a natural progression for our business.”

Maven Technologies provides recycling services to several corporations, non-profits and municipalities throughout New York State. Additionally, they hold free recycling events for residential consumers. Most recently, the company collected 178,000 pounds of electronics at an event held at R.I.T. on  June 11.  The company has provided a full range of life cycle management services for computers and electronics since 1998. For more information visit www.MavenTech.com.

Collectors and recyclers of obsolete electronics have until January  1st to enroll with the state’s E-Waste Program created by a law passed by the General Assembly this year.

The new law specifies that only collectors and recyclers enrolled in the program can work with electronics manufacturers who will soon be responsible for collecting and recycling the devices they sell in the state of Indiana.

Makers of computer monitors, laptops, and televisions must register with the state by April 1, 2010. If they fail to do so they won’t be allowed to sell their products in Indiana. This is a similar scenario with the controversial scenario in the state of New York, which is currently in litigation between the state and several electronic manufacturer trade groups.

Winners in the state’s Waste Reduction Awards Program ranged from tech giants Hewlett-Packard Co, Intel Corp and NEC Electronics America Inc. Hewlett-Packard’s Roseville campus  now diverts 91 percent of its waste material, from recycling cardboard and paper products to reusing bubble wrap. NEC’s manufacturing plant, also in Roseville, last year diverted 82 percent of its solid waste, raising $430,625 in recycling revenue for the company.

Driven by aggressive state mandates, recycling has become a major industry in California. The sector employs 85,000 and produces $10 billion in goods and services annually, according to the waste board.

To make the list of recycling honorees, a company must demonstrate an annual improvement in its waste-reduction practices, according to Beatriz Sandoval, a spokeswoman for the Integrated Waste Management Board.

The agency has been publishing the list since 1993. Because of the breadth of industries represented, there are no set standards for qualifying, Sandoval said. Nearly every company submitting documentation to the agency wins an award.