First Mexico-based company certified to e-Stewards

Posted on July 11, 2011 by admin

Glezco, in Neuvo Leon, outside Monterrey, Mexico, has achieved e-Stewards certification.

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

ERI certified e-Stewards at three primary U.S. locations

Posted on July 7, 2011 by admin

Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), headquartered in Fresno, Ca., has achieved company-wide certification of its primary U.S. operating locations in California, Washington, Colorado and Texas to the international e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment, the Basel Action Network said. BAN added ERI is the largest recycler to date to have achieved this distinction.

John S. Shegerian

Certified e-Stewards Recyclers, such as ERI, have been extensively audited by accredited third-party Certification Bodies to ensure that all requirements of the Standard have been met.

The e-Stewards Standard, created by BAN in conjunction with industry leaders and health and environmental specialists, requires recyclers to eliminate exports of hazardous e-wastes to developing countries; to halt the dumping of such wastes in municipal landfills or incinerators; and to cease the use of captive prison populations to manage toxic e-wastes. It also calls for strict protection of private data and occupational health safeguards to ensure that workers in recycling plants are not exposed to toxic dusts and fumes.

“The e-Stewards Standard is a market differentiator in an industry that needs one badly,” said Jim Puckett, Founder of the Basel Action Network. “If you care about security of your data, and the impacts of toxic substances in electronic waste on workers here at home and in developing countries, then you will choose to be held to this gold standard of environmental and social responsibility and you will accept no substitutes.”

Certification body QMI-SAI Global conducted the ERI audits that independently determined every one of ERI’s current facilities to be operating within the parameters set by the e-Stewards Standard. ERI reported that their three newest locations, in Indiana, Massachusetts and North Carolina, are also on schedule to be certified by the end of August, 2011.

“We are extremely proud to have met the strictest standards of environmental and operational excellence,” said John S. Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of ERI. “We strongly support BAN’s certified, third-party audited program and will proudly display our e-Steward Certification documents at each our locations.”

Shegerian also noted that ERI continues to see steady growth and will soon be expanding nationally and internationally. As each facility becomes operational they will likewise become audited and certified.

Fresno-headquartered Electronic Recyclers International is licensed to de-manufacture and recycle televisions, computer monitors, computers, and other types of electronic equipment. ERI processes more than 140 million pounds of electronic waste annually at its locations in California, Washington, Colorado, and Texas. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-884-8466 or visit http://www.electronicrecyclers.com.

Intercon Solutions denied e-Stewards certification by BAN & delisted by R2 Solutions

Posted on July 5, 2011 by admin

Intercon Solutions, of Chicago Heights, Ill., has been denied the e-Stewards certification by the Basel Action Network and delisted from the list of R2 certified companies by R2 Solutions, administer of the Responsible Recycling standard.

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.

Indiana Electronic Recyclers Must Register With State By January 1st 2010.

Posted on December 3, 2009 by admin

Time is running out for Indiana’s electronic waste collectors and recyclers to enroll in a new program intended to reduce the amount of electronic waste that ends up in the state’s landfills.

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.

Samsung Expects To Sell 200 Million Handsets In 2009. Company Has Sold 40 million Touchscreen Devices In 2009, Compared With 10 million A Year Ago.

Posted on December 2, 2009 by admin

Samsung Electronics, the world’s No. 2 mobile phone maker, gave an upbeat forecast for 2009 mobile phone sales due to sharp growth in touchscreen models, but surging sales may not guarantee higher margins.

Growing competition for market share could put Samsung under pressure to lower prices in the high-margin touchscreen phones, with iPhone‘s debut in the domestic market last week set to challenge Samsung and home-town rival LG Electronics.

“Touch phones taking a bigger portion of handset sales will not likely have a significant impact on profitability because makers eventually have to cut prices to appeal to the wider public,” said Hanwha Securities analyst Seo Do-won.

“What we have to set sight on is the smartphone market, in which Samsung is still weaker than Apple, RIM and Nokia (NOK1V.HE). Samsung has strengths in high-function and hardware sides, but is weak in software and services compared with rivals,” Seo said.

Samsung, which trails Finland’s Nokia, said on Monday it was on track to exceed its 2009 mobile phone sales target, with touchscreen models enjoying sharp growth.

It had previously said it aimed to sell more than 200 million phones this year, after selling slightly less than that figure in 2008.

The blockbuster iPhone of Apple made its debut in South Korea recently after local regulators cleared the final hurdle for its sales in a market that is home to 47 million mobile phone users.

With established strength in premium and feature phones, Samsung and LG have recently boosted their smartphone line-ups to compete with Apple and Blackberry maker Research In Motion

Samsung said its global market share in handsets rose over 20 percent for the first time in the third quarter, with its telecom unit posting a profit margin of 10 percent in the third quarter, unchanged from the second quarter.

Research firm Gartner said this month global mobile phone salesthis year would be roughly on par with 2008 and grow 5-8 percent next year.

Samsung said in a statement handsets adopting full touchscreens would account for about 20 percent of its mobile phone sales this year. In 2008, such phones made up only 5 percent of Samsung’s total sales.

Samsung had sold around 40 million full touchscreen devices between January and November this year, compared with 10 million in 2008.

Feature-packed premium phones and smartphones with intuitive user interfaces have prompted a boom in touchscreen models that allow users to manipulate cellphones more easily.

“Samsung will continue to expand the global full touch phone market by introducing phones tailored to individual regions and user requirement with stylish designs, intuitive UIs and cutting edge features,” JK Shin, head of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Communications Division, said in the statement.

Samsung Mobile Display, Samsung Electronics’ mobile screen venture, expects touchscreens to be adopted by about 50 percent of major portable devices — mobile phones, digital cameras, navigations and digital media players – sold in 2013.

By afternoon, shares of Samsung, also the world’s largest maker of memory chips and flat screen televisions, were up 2.3 percent, in line with the broader market’s 2.5 percent gain.

Linda McFarland Becomes Executive Vice President Of Business Development Of 5R Processors

Posted on December 2, 2009 by admin

Paragon Green, a leader in the information technology (IT) asset recovery and e-waste recycling industry, announced today the appointment of Linda McFarland as executive vice president of business development for joint venture partner 5R Processors Ltd. (5R), based in Ladysmith, Wis. She will continue to serve as CEO of Paragon Green and president and CEO of Classic Computer Recovery, Inc. (CCR), which are both based in Garden City, Mich.

Paragon Green is a joint venture formed by McFarland, founder and owner of CCR, and Tom Drake, founder and CEO of 5R. Between CCR and 5R, the companies recycle an estimated 20 million pounds per year, and Paragon Green projects that it will collect and recycle more than 50 million pounds of materials in 2010.

McFarland is a visionary entrepreneur in IT asset recovery and the electronics recycling industry. She is known for being creatively passionate about diverting e-waste from curbside disposal by working to responsibly convert recoverable electronic equipment into re-marketable used products or component parts. Any equipment Paragon Green collects that does not have a resale value in the used market is safely dismantled and converted into commodities for reclaimed metals, plastic and other recyclable materials.

“With the global economic recession, IT departments are focusing on cost reduction as a leading priority in their budget planning,” McFarland said. “Reclaiming, refurbishing and remarketing IT equipment is an innovative and environmentally proactive approach for companies to offset IT budgets by converting used assets to cash.”

Paragon Green’s asset recycling program is a full circle, end-to-end market managed recycling solution that supports a zero e-waste environmental agenda.

“Paragon Green accepts all e-waste from the commercial markets, including what others consider non-value electronics, including monitors and televisions,” McFarland said. “We also do not ship unprocessed, hazardous e-scrap, such as lead-based glass found in monitors and televisions to other countries. Instead, our lead-based glass de-manufacturing solution, called glass-to-glass processing, is the only true, environmentally sound recycling process.”

In addition to e-waste, Paragon Green is a waste recycling resource for a broad range of goods including fluorescent lights, cardboard, plastic, rubber, and hazardous materials such as lead acid batteries. Paragon Green also takes an active role with schools and community governments by participating in collection events and pilot programs that encourage the community to recycle.

Paragon Green serves medium-sized companies and large corporations within the healthcare, education, government, hospitality, solid waste, e-waste and asset recovery industries, as well as school districts, government entities and solid waste agencies. It operates four plants with nine locations in six states, totaling 300,000 square feet of space, located in Michigan, Illinois, Georgia, Wisconsin and Tennessee.