Seattle, WA., Scottsdale, AZ. July 19, 2023. The e-Stewards® Certification program, created in 2009 by the global environmental justice organization Basel Action Network, at the 2023 ITAD Summit taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona today, announced the development of a new abbreviated and focussed version of their renowned e-Stewards electronics recycling standard. The new version will be explicitly designed to better serve the growing segment of the ITAD (Information Technology Asset Disposition) industry that is focused on the repair, reconditioning, reuse, and resale of used electronic equipment and not processing electronic scrap to recover plastics and metals resources. The Standard will be like the current e-Stewards standard but will not include requirements to ensure safe management for the for the more potentially hazardous activities associated with the recovery which may involve handling mercury, shredding, smelting, hydrometallurgical processes etc. that most of the new refurbisher ITAD businesses outsource.
“The new e-Stewards refurbishment standard will save the information technology reuse sector unnecessary get-ready and certification costs, by being focused solely on what this segment actually does,” said Selena Turnock, e-Stewards Acting Certification Director. “At the same time, it will continue providing the accountability and ethical emphasis on such concerns as data security, downstream due diligence, and the prevention of illegal and harmful export of non-functional hazardous equipment to developing countries.”
The new standard development was made possible with financial support from Samsung and is expected to be readied for public review in mid—September. Companies interested in the standard’s development now are eligible to become part of the new standard’s first review team. They can contact e-Stewards to be placed on this team.
“We realize that many of the newcomers in the electronics recycling industry are daunted by the prospect of becoming certified,” said Jim Puckett, founder of the Basel Action Network (BAN). “It seems like a big and scary lift. At e-Stewards we seek to evolve our sustainability and accountability tools to the greater welfare of people and planet but also to the practical needs of the businesses they serve. It should not always be difficult to do the right thing.”
For more information:
Contact: Selena Turnock, Acting Certification Director, e-Stewards
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Contact: Jim Puckett, Executive Director, Basel Action Network
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About e-Stewards® Certification
The e-Stewards® Initiative is a market-based solution to help individuals and organizations identify and promote electronics recyclers who ensure that used electronics are managed with the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility. e-Stewards Certified Recyclers are audited and certified to ensure highest levels of responsibility and e-Stewards Enterprises are major corporations, municipalities, nonprofits or institutions that agree to make best efforts to make use of e-Stewards Certified Recyclers. e-Stewards is a program of the environmental advocacy organization Basel Action Network.