Recycling resources

Make the right choice with an e-Stewards recycler.  e-Stewards recyclers are committed to the highest standard for environmentally and socially responsible management of e-waste.

What you can do

    e-Stewards Certification

    The e-Stewards certification for recyclers identifies companies who have committed to the e-Steward Standard. If you are a consumer or organization disposing of old electronics, selecting a certified e-Stewards Recycler provides you the industry’s only assurance that disposing of your old electronics:

    • will not result in toxic materials being exported to developing world nations
    • will not result in broken down, non-functioning equipment being illegally exported to developing countries
    • will not be incinerated or disposed of in landfills or incinerators
    • will not be processed in a manner that puts the health and safety of recycling workers at risk
    • will not result in your private data being unexpectedly exposed to outsiders
    • will not be processed by prisoners without all the protections and benefits of private sector workers

    See the e-Stewards Certification Introduction for more  detailed information about this program.

    e-Stewards Pledge program

    The certification program grew out of an earlier BAN program known as the Electronic Recycler Pledge of True Stewardship.  Today, all companies signing the pledge have undergone a desk and documentation audit of  their recycling practices.  All e-Stewards recyclers are required to achieve certification by September 1, 2011.

    The e-Steward Solution

    Without appropriate national and international legislation in place in North America, it is left up to individual citizens, corporations, universities, cities – all of us – to figure out how to do better. We believe that most consumers will make the right choice if they are made aware of the global waste crisis and are able to differentiate responsible from irresponsible recyclers. It is this philosophy that led us to develop the e-Stewards program.

    e-Stewards Certification program

    The e-Stewards certification program for recyclers identifies companies who have committed to the e-Steward standard. If you are a consumer or business disposing of old electronics, selecting a certified e-Steward provides you the industry’s only assurance that your old electronics will not be exported to developing world nations, will not be incinerated or disposed of in landfills, and will be processed in a stringent manner protecting the health and safety of industry workers. In addition, the e-Stewards standard means that electronics are cleansed of all data and are not exported to developing nations, nor are they processed by prisoners under sweatshop like, unhealthy conditions.

    The e-Stewards certification program is an accredited, 3rd party audited program that incorporates a ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and is consistent with International law and legal conventions. This makes it the only standard that can fully support companies who have recycling requirements in the United States and other developed nations. The e-Stewards certification program was fully accredited in March of 2010. For more information on the e-Stewards Certification read here.

    e-Stewards Pledge program

    Prior to the launch of the e-Stewards certification program, over 40 recycling companies committed to the e-Stewards pledge program making these companies the industries earliest adopters of meaningful recycling standards for safe and sound disposal of e-waste. The pledge program was founded in 2003 and includes high standards in the areas of export, land dumping, incineration, and prohibited use of prison labor. It is enforced via ‘desk’ and paper audits that verify that toxic fractions of e-waste end up in responsible destinations. All pledged e-Stewards have committed to converting to the certified e-Stewards program by September of 2011 to retain their e-Steward status. A list of e-Stewards can be found here.

    How does e-Stewards Compare with Other Standards

    “Only the e-Stewards program deals adequately with the most egregious and irresponsible forms of recycling currently practiced today.”

    Only the e-Stewards program deals adequately with the most egregious and irresponsible forms of recycling currently practiced today. For this reason it is the only program with the support of the environmental and social justice community and the most responsible recyclers. Click here to find a comparison with the other “recycling” standards (EPA’s R2 standard and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industry’s RIOS standard).

    Use only qualified e-Stewards

    Before recycling anything electronic—including old printers, faxes, cell phones, Ipods, PDAs TVs, monitors and entertainment equipment—consumers that care should insist on only using e-Stewards. Look for the e-Stewards logo on the recycler’s website or check the full list of current e-Stewards near you. It’s the industry’s highest standard. With e-Stewards one can finally feel good about getting rid of that old device sitting in the closet!

    E-Stewards Enterprises

    http://www.e-stewards.org/images/estewardsenterprise.gif
    e-Stewards recyclers are the best in the business, and we will recognize the leading corporations and other organizations that commit to using only these industry leaders by acknowledging them as an e-Stewards Enterprise. If your organization would like to learn more about becoming a e-Stewards Enterprise, please see here.

    -->