New year, new website!

e-Stewards has launched our new website, offering an enhanced user experience and updated appearance. We simplified navigation, adopted a more user-friendly design, and created a modern look. We want our website to cater not only to current and prospective e-Stewards certified processors, but also to companies and consumers that are looking for ITAD solutions for their electronic equipment. Check it out here!

e-Stewards processors demonstrate year-round good behavior

e-Stewards has announced the most recent results of our Performance Verification (PV) Program, a unique feature of e-Stewards certification that helps ensure our recyclers adhere to global environmental justice principles every day of the year. Between 2021 and 2022, 18 different e-Stewards certified recyclers at 22 locations have been “caught doing the right thing” through due diligence methods that go beyond the usual audits conducted by independent certification bodies. To be e-Stewards certified, all recyclers agree to two forms of performance verification. First, random, unannounced inspections ensure compliance above and beyond the routine annual audits accomplished by accredited third-party certification bodies. Second, the e-Stewards certification program also deploys electronic scrap equipment embedded with hidden EarthEye GPS trackers at e-Stewards certified locations, in order to monitor downstream pathways of e-waste to make sure companies fulfill their international trade obligations for the management of electronic waste. We congratulate all our e-Stewards for their commitment to the e-Stewards mission.

To see the full results and more information about the PV program, read the press release here.

Enterprise Program opens its doors with improvements

e-Stewards has announced several upgrades to the Enterprise Program aimed at expanding participation and enhancing value for companies and institutional leaders. As an Enterprise Partner, organizations commit to environmental and social responsibility in electronics stewardship and join the e-Stewards global movement of excellence in e-waste management. Now, instead of requiring a license agreement and mandatory annual fee, e-Stewards Enterprises will sign a Memorandum of Understanding and contribute a voluntary annual donation to help promote and enhance the program. Enterprises must use or intend to use at least one e-Stewards processor and have an ongoing preference for e-Stewards Certified Processors in their bidding procedures. Once part of the program, e-Stewards offers numerous benefits for Enterprises, including the use of the e-Stewards Enterprise logo, showcase on the e-Stewards website, and eligibility for the e-Stewards Leadership Council.

Learn more about the announcement here or reach out to our Enterprise and ESG Director, Prema George (prema@e-stewards.org).

New e-Stewards Internal Auditor Training

Our new e-Stewards V4.1 Internal Auditor Training brings together years of knowledge from industry experts, third-party auditing and certification body experience and provides participants with the information needed to understand and verify the e-Stewards V4.1 requirements. Offered by Greeneye Partners, the course is intended for those interested in conducting an internal audit or gaining a general understanding of the updated requirements of the e-Stewards Standard V4.1. It first provides an overview of the history of Basel Action Network and e-Stewards before diving into an exploration of the V4.1 Standard. The course culminates in a final exam and will provide participants with a certificate upon successful completion.

For those interested, learn more here or reach out to Greeneye Partners (info@GreeneyePartners.com).

e-Stewards wishes to introduce one of its newest Leadership Council members. Karen Lyons is the Regulatory Compliance Manager at i-SIGMA, the International Secure Information Governance & Management Association, the industry trade association for secure data destruction and records & information management service providers. Karen leads the i-SIGMA certification department ensuring its alignment with evolving regulations as well as staying abreast of current legislation that impacts information destruction and RIM service providers. She will act as i-SIGMA’s liaison to BAN and e-Stewards.

REMINDER: Annual Database Reports due January 31

We want to offer a friendly reminder for both e-Stewards Certified Processors and e-Stewards Enterprises that all submissions of the 2023 Annual Database Report are due on January 31, 2024. The online form can be found here for processors, and a submission must be made for each processing site. The Enterprise form can be found here. If you have any questions or concerns while completing your reports, please contact our Certification Director, Selena Turnock (selena@e-stewards.org) or our Enterprise and ESG Director, Prema George (prema@e-stewards.org).

50% Discount for new e-Stewards

e-Stewards is offering a 50% discount for all new companies’ first-year license and marketing fees. This offer is only available to processors that have never been e-Stewards Certified. 

If you are interested in e-Stewards certification, please reach out to us at info@e-stewards.org or fill out our Start the Process form on our website. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our e-Stewards in the News

Two e-Stewards processors, 4THBIN and ecoTech Management, have announced their merger, joining together the first e-Stewards company in NYC and the first on Long Island.

Closed Loop Partners, an e-Stewards Enterprise and circular economy-focused investment firm, has acquired a majority stake in Sage Sustainable Electronics, an e-Stewards certified processor.

e-Stewards processor EPC has opened a new site in Columbia, SC, combining two of its sites and doubling their combined square footage.

Pennsylvania Resources Council, an e-Stewards Enterprise, has reported that through its partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, it has enabled more than 2,000 residents to recycle over 62 tons of e-waste in 2023. All of the e-scrap collected is in turn sent to e-Stewards certified processor eLoop LLC.

Policy News: Export law, right-to-repair, and repairability scores

Amending the existing e-scrap law, a new California law will require exporters of covered electronic devices to show regulators that “they attempted to locate an in-state covered electronic waste recycler and that the waste could not be managed by an in-state covered electronic waste recycler” at least 60 days before exporting. It does not lay out how exactly these attempts must be demonstrated, but it applies to both international exports out of California and shipments to another state that are ultimately destined for export.

Lawmakers in Oregon are hoping that an endorsement by Google will help a new right-to-repair bill finally pass in next month’s legislative session, the fourth such bill to be brought forward in the state since 2019. Touted as the nation’s strongest by lawmakers, it would be the first bill to address the practice of “parts pairing,” which limits parts to be used by specific devices, increasing the cost of repairs and not allowing the harvesting of functional parts from other devices for repair.

Another right-to-repair bill has had its first hearing in Washington state, this time covering more than just personal electronics, with appliances, farm equipment, and power wheelchairs added to its language. Last year, a similar bill failed to advance out of committee, even with Microsoft’s support.

In Maine, legislators are considering a bill to establish repairability scores for consumer electronic products. This would be similar to a system implemented by France in 2021, in which many companies like Amazon already display their scores next to the products they are selling.

e-Stewards Standard Tip

Competence: It is a requirement of many voluntary certifications, including the e-Stewards Standard, to ensure the necessary competency of personnel within an organization. For e-Stewards Processors, this includes training on the Stewardship Management System for all employees as relevant to their respective roles, in addition to orientation for new employees and those that change roles or departments.

Certain ways an employee may become competent include through appropriate training or relevant work experience. Examples of how an employer may test for competency include, but are not limited to, written examinations, documented observations, skills assessments, performance reviews, or role simulations.

It is important to ensure that competency is recorded in a manner that easily allows auditors or inspectors to review in order to ensure compliance with Standard or regulation requirements. Additionally, records of competency may be used by management as relevant for employees to assist in determining roles, performance, or other essential functions of the organization.

For more information on this Standard clause, or any questions about e-Stewards, please contact Selena Turnock, Certification Director, at selena@e-stewards.org.

Featured Video

The tragic costs of e-waste – by CBS Sunday Morning

About e-Stewards:

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 environmental and social responsibility standards. e-Stewards Certified Recyclers and Refurbishers are audited and certified to ensure the highest levels of responsibility. e-Stewards Enterprises are major corporations, municipalities, nonprofits, or institutions that agree to make their best efforts to use e-Stewards Certified Recyclers. e-Stewards is a program established by the environmental advocacy organization Basel Action Network. See e-Stewards Video.

Do you have news, photos, or videos about your company? We welcome submissions and invite you to share ideas with info@e-stewards.org. Thank you for reading!