Company Foundation Also Helps Support e-Stewards Workforce Inclusion Program
Cypress, California; Seattle, Washington. July 21, 2022. Mitsubishi Electric, US, Inc., a leading manufacturer of electrical and electronic products from energy systems to heat pumps, today joined the elite list of e-Stewards® Enterprise companies. e-Stewards Enterprises are corporations and institutions committed to using the world’s most globally responsible electronics recycling companies that are certified to the e-Stewards Standard for the electronic waste they generate and control. The e-Stewards Standard is known for its rigorous environmental and social criteria, including forbidding the export of hazardous electronic waste to developing countries and strict controls to prevent data breaches from discarded hardware.
Mitsubishi Electric is committed to environmental sustainability as well, with a goal to achieve NetZero emissions in its entire value chain by 2050 and a focus on developing carbon neutral and circular economy solutions through innovation.
“Mitsubishi Electric is thrilled to be joining, with our full support for the e-Stewards movement,” said Kevin R. Webb, senior director for sustainability and social impact at Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. “Joining e-Stewards as an Enterprise organization fits perfectly with our commitment to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and to constantly strive to enhance our environmental, social and governance objectives as a circular digital-engineering company.”
Aligned with its commitment to the environment and creating a vibrant society for all, Mitsubishi Electric is also passionate about social responsibility. Its philanthropic foundation, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), has a 30-year history of empowering youth with disabilities, and has already contributed to the development of the e-Stewards ADVANCE+ program, which seeks to provide job opportunities for workers with autism and other disabilities as a workforce solution for the electronics recycling industry.
“It is especially rewarding to welcome our ADVANCE+ partner, Mitsubishi Electric, as an Enterprise partner and have them fully embrace our greater e-Stewards efforts to foster a new, ethical circular economy for electronic waste,” said Jim Puckett, executive director of the Basel Action Network – creator of e-Stewards. “Mitsubishi Electric has been an electronics industry leader for decades, and we have been impressed to see that market prowess translate to promoting the highest levels of environmental and social standards as well.”
e-Stewards Certified recyclers are known to maintain the highest standards of ethical and social criteria. e-Stewards processors undergo rigorous third-party audits annually to ensure they do not export hazardous byproducts to developing nations or dump them in municipal landfills. e-Stewards recyclers agree to be subject to unannounced inspections at any time, as well as the random, clandestine use of GPS trackers to track their e-waste flows downstream. e-Stewards Certified recyclers also ensure that confidential personal and business data is securely and completely sanitized, and that their operations protect workers and the environment.
For more information:
Contact: Jim Puckett
Founder, Basel Action Network
e-mail: email hidden; JavaScript is required
phone: 206-652-5555.
Contact: Kevin R. Webb
Sr. Director, Sustainability & Social Impact, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc.
e-mail: email hidden; JavaScript is required
phone: 703-276-8245
For a short film describing the e-Stewards Enterprise program, click here.
For a short film describing the e-Stewards ADVANCE+ program, click here.
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.
About Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc.
Headquartered in Cypress, CA, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. is a US affiliate company of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and manufactures cooling and heating products, elevators and escalators, space and sensing systems, and semiconductor devices. Mitsubishi Electric contributes to a vibrant and sustainable society through continuous innovation and “Making Changes for the Better.” For additional information visit us.mitsubishielectric.com/en.
About Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, based in the Washington, D.C. area, was established in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. companies, which produce, sell and distribute a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial and professional electronics products. The Foundation has contributed more than $21.5 million to organizations that are empowering young people with disabilities to lead more inclusive and productive lives. To learn more, visit www.MEAF.org.