It was with some sadness, but most certainly with far more acute appreciation that I read the news of Bob Houghton stepping down as President of Sage Sustainable Electronics to become Chair of the Board of the same.

None of us are getting any younger and at some point we all must let go the tight grip on the helm of the ships we build and sail in this life. But Bob and e-Stewards have shared a long voyage together which well deserves note and a long overdue tip of the hat. While at his first company -- Redemtech (1998-2012), Bob witnessed BAN’s groundbreaking film Exporting Harm (2002) which showed for the first time what passed for all US electronics recycling at the time -- e-waste routinely exported and horrific informal recycling in China. Right then and there he made the decision that he wanted no part of that. 

Shortly after releasing that shocking film, BAN created the Pledge of True Stewardship with the tagline -- No Export, no Landfills, no Prisons! Redemtech signed up to be one of the first companies committing themselves to the 10 point pledge, following the walkout of EPA’s R2 process by BAN and the Electronics Take Back Coalition (2008). The environmental groups decided to leave the negotiations, when contrary to the original charter, R2 voted to allow exports of circuit boards in violation of the laws of importing countries, and it was at that point that Bob told me, "well, you are just going to have to create your own standard." 

He advised us to pass the hat and create the e-Stewards Founders program which we did with 12 concerned recyclers and smelters who helped fund the development of the first Electronics Recycling Standard that was compatible with international law -- e-Stewards.

Redemtech was one of the first three companies to become Certified to the e-Stewards Standard (2009) and subsequently helped to create the Coalition of American Electronics Recyclers which to this day continues to press for national legislation to forbid e-waste exports to developing countries. In 2012 when Redemtech was acquired by Arrow Electronics, Bob came to work for BAN as Interim Executive Director of e-Stewards. It was a wonderful year (2013) in Seattle where together with Sarah Westervelt, we developed better messaging and governance enhancements for the program. While we tried to interest Bob in taking the reins of e-Stewards full-time, he expressed to me that while it was an intriguing offer, he had one more chapter in his entrepreneurial story -- to create with his long-time partner Jill Vaské -- Sage Sustainable Electronics. Most recently in 2021 Bob convened a Working Group of our Leadership Council to develop a Strategic Plan for the program which is still alive and being fulfilled to this day. 

Bob has not retired, nor have I, but a tribute is in order now -- just in case I retire before he does!

Thank you Bob Houghton.

Jim Puckett

Founder and Chief of Strategic Direction at Basel Action Network

April 30, 2026

Bloom ESG and e-Stewards Add First-to-Market Critical Metals Metric to Environmental Benefits Calculator

The new feature addresses a growing demand for greater transparency and accountability in the circular economy, as corporations, recyclers, and IT asset disposition providers face increasing pressure to demonstrate not only carbon impact but also the recovery of valuable materials like cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements.

Designed for electronics recyclers and ITAD providers, the enhanced Calculator introduces a metric that quantifies critical materials conserved through responsible reuse and recycling, using primary data from recovery processes and smelter operations rather than estimates. Building on the earlier ISO-verified environmental impact calculator developed by e-Stewards and Bloom ESG, this advancement responds to heightened concerns around supply chain resilience, material scarcity, and regulatory scrutiny by delivering verifiable, auditable data grounded in real operations. With an ISO 14064-approved methodology and independent third-party verification, it sets a new benchmark for credible impact reporting and environmental accountability across the U.S. circular economy.

The Bloom + e-Stewards ITAD Environmental Benefits Calculator, with the new Critical Metals Conserved metric, is available to all electronics recyclers and refurbishers. 

For more information, visit bloom-esg.com or e-stewards.org