The e-Stewards Newsletter
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The Circular is a bi-monthly newsletter produced by e-Stewards, containing program news, resources, and perspectives -- all relevant information on the world of electronics recycling. The Circular aims to connect the e-Stewards community of recyclers, refurbishers, enterprises, and individuals, with all who share the goal of ensuring an ethical circular economy for electronics. It is a publication open to all.
To join or sign up new members to the Circular, click here.
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e-Stewards Unveils New Film on ADVANCE+
e-Stewards has created a new short video for the ADVANCE+ workforce inclusion program, which seeks to bring workers with disabilities into the e-Stewards and the entire e-cycling ecosystem. The program has recently opened its doors to all Certified e-cyclers, with discounts given to e-Stewards Certified companies for the ADVANCE+ Training/Employer Development program run by the James Emmett Company. Please contact Bill Morris, e-Stewards Social Impact Committee Chair, for more information. You can also learn more about the program by watching our recent webinar update on the 2022 program.
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New e-Stewards Processors
Our most recent e-Stewards Certifications include ecoTech Management, Inc., Green Chip Inc., MCPc Inc., North Coast Services, and Opportunity Enterprises, Inc. for SecureShred. And, according to our e-Stewards Certifying Bodies, we have six new recyclers/refurbishers that are currently in progress (audits scheduled or underway) toward becoming e-Stewards Certified. We look forward to welcoming these new companies/facilities into the program soon.
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New e-Stewards Enterprises
Mitsubishi Electric, US, Inc. and Aeris Protective Packaging have joined the elite group of e-Stewards Enterprises. The e-Stewards Enterprise Program designates and licenses companies committed to preferring the use of a certified e-Stewards Processor -- the world’s most globally responsible electronics recycling companies -- for the electronic waste they generate and control.
Mitsubishi Electric, US, Inc., a leading manufacturer of electrical and electronic products from energy systems to heat pumps, is committed to environmental sustainability, 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. 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.
Aeris Protective Packaging, a leading manufacturer of custom-designed protective packaging solutions, based in Montreal, Quebec, is passionate about preventing waste at the front- and back-end of the product life cycle by providing the most effective and high-quality engineered packaging solutions to reduce the risk of product breakage during transport. Their inflatable air-chamber packaging solutions are used to protect electronics, medical devices, automotive parts, musical instruments, and other sensitive and valuable products.
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e-Stewards Processors Meet Deadline for NAID AAA Adoption
We are very pleased to announce that all e-Stewards certified processors have met our July 1 deadline requirements of a) becoming a member of the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), and b) being either Certified to NAID AAA or in progress to achieving this milestone. As we write, 84% of our facilities are either NAID AAA certified or will receive their certificate in the coming weeks. The remaining 16% are audit ready as required. With this transition, e-Stewards processors will be adhering to the strictest standards for data destruction and security of any electronic waste available, qualifying themselves as the best in secure data destruction, compliant with all known data protection laws, and verified by both scheduled and surprise audits conducted by accredited security professionals to meet regulatory due diligence obligations and the highest of customer expectations.
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e-Stewards Enterprises win EPA Sustainability Awards
The EPA has recognized several e-Stewards Enterprises with awards for Sustainable Materials Management for rethinking business as usual and committing to innovative and responsible end-of-life electronics management. e-Stewards Enterprise companies LG Electronics USA, Samsung Electronics, Sony Electronics, Staples, and VIZIO received Gold Tier awards for organizations with exemplary, well-developed collection programs. In addition, LG Electronics USA won a Champion Product Award for their sound bar using recycled materials in its design and packaging. Samsung Electronics won a Sustained Excellence Award for their solar-powered remote control device.
Pittsburgh E-waste Recycled Responsibly
The Pittsburgh City Council has passed a resolution allowing the mayor to sign a contract with Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC), an e-Stewards Enterprise and environmental nonprofit, to provide electronic waste collection and recycling services for Pittsburgh residents. PRC’s mission is to lead and promote individual and collective action to prevent waste and conserve Pennsylvania’s environmental resources for each generation, and they currently provide e-scrap collection events across Pennsylvania. All e-waste collected by PRC will be directed to e-Stewards Certified Processor eLoop LLC.
In-Person Leadership Council Meeting Resumes
The in-person Leadership Council meeting is coming soon! The 25th Leadership Council meeting is scheduled for October 13th and 14th in Seattle. The pandemic had hindered our ability to meet face-to-face for the last two years, but now, as health concerns are diminishing, we are excited to meet with a new LC and alumni this fall. We look forward to a productive meeting and a great time meeting our many new members!
2022 Introductory Discount is On!
e-Stewards is currently offering a one-time introductory rate for e-Stewards V4.1 Certification for e-cyclers, processors, and refurbishers. Sign-up with a Certifying Body before December 31, 2022, and you will receive 50% off your annual license fee for the first year. Please click here for more details and share with others who may be interested!
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e-Stewards Guidance Tip
Weatherproof Building / Impermeable Flooring: With this edition, we alert our e-Stewards to the Guidance provided on the requirement found in 8.4.2 (b) of the e-Stewards Standard V4.1: "Process only on impermeable flooring and in an enclosed weatherproof building." Clarifying Guidance is provided, which is summarized as follows:
The minimum example of a weatherproof structure would be durable, waterproof tenting material around a robust frame without any openings to the wind, precipitation, or sunrays during storage or operations. With respect to the impermeable flooring requirement, we provide two implementational options an e-Stewards can choose. They can either provide their auditor with assurances and documentation that the process or storage will not involve liquids and in such case a less perfectly impermeable possibly with drains is described as possible, or, if liquids will be present then a very tight, no drainage, type of flooring which allows for spills to be mopped up and contained is described. Intermodal containers, truck containers, train cars, etc. are assumed to be permeable, though they may be parked on a surface described by option 1 or 2 above to meet the requirement.
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Legal Updates: Recent Basel Developments on E-waste
The Parties to the Basel Convention in Geneva at their fifteenth meeting (COP15) in June agreed by consensus to the “Swiss-Ghana Amendments.” These amendments establish new definitions of hazardous and non-hazardous electronic waste and ensure that these two categories of e-waste will either be banned from trade or, at a minimum, require notification by the exporting country and consent by the importing country prior to export. The new amendments also ensure that the only exempted e-waste from trade controls will be wastes that are pre-processed in the exporting country to a safe, non-hazardous concentrate of metals or plastics already listed on the Basel non-hazardous list (Annex IX). BAN was instrumental in ensuring that these clean commodity streams would be exempt. The new rules will go into force January 1, 2025, followed in a few years by a similar agreement for mixed and contaminated plastics. Apart from the obvious environmental and health benefit, they are expected also to make e-waste trade enforcement all over the world much easier, as customs and environmental border officials will not have to undertake expensive testing in most cases to determine hazardousness. For more information on how this relates to electronics recyclers, please see this recent webinar from e-Stewards.
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Indianapolis, IN. Mary, a worker at Cascade Asset Management, an e-Stewards certified recycler and part of the e-Stewards ADVANCE+ program, is featured in a new video about this workforce inclusion program.
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Emerging Issues: Lithium-Ion Battery Reuse and Recycling
Researchers and environmentalists have raised the alarm about the increasing practice of exporting used lithium-ion batteries from Europe to Africa. "We have a very high demand for electricity storage here in Ethiopia – especially in the coming years," explains Dr. Tadesse Amera, the founder and Executive Director of the Ethiopian NGO PAN-Ethiopia. "Small and medium-sized solar solutions with battery storage play a crucial role for clean energy in many rural communities. However, we do not need low-quality batteries with limited remaining lifetime. We have signed the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes in the year 2000 and do not want to be misused as a dumping ground for the toxic waste of the North." Low capacity or substandard batteries are considered wastes according to the e-Stewards Standard, and a line must be similarly drawn at Basel to clearly avoid export abuse in coming years.
On a related note, the Basel Convention in its 15th meeting in June agreed to begin drafting updated and new Technical Guidelines on the Environmentally Sound Management of Batteries. This will, for the first time, include work on Lithium-ion Batteries. BAN will be participating in this creation of these Guidelines.
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From the cover of Apple's 2022 Sustainability Progress Report, an African Internet installation is shown, such developments require Lithium-Ion Batteries which will require batteries in good condition and a means to collect them at end of life.
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Staff Thoughts: A Trip to Apple Park
Jim Puckett journeyed to Cupertino last month, accepting an invitation to come to the Apple "mothership". The headquarters of Apple known as Apple Park was the last project of Steve Jobs, and according to Jim, it was stunning. "In my view it just might be the most beautiful modern office building and campus in the world. The building itself is a giant circle one mile in circumference, about 40 meters wide, and accommodates 12,000 employees. Massive, but all of it very much at human scale, with intimate nooks and places to collaborate, both inside and out. It is very zen with off-white walls, glass, steel, and wood, all making lovely use of light and shadow, with outward-facing walls being windows to the park below and hills beyond -- a design blocking out all views of its suburban setting. Enclosed within the giant circle is a stage, a theater, a meditative reflecting pond, athletic fields, fruit orchards, and small forests of native plants and trees. Oh, and sorry, -- no pictures allowed. It was so relaxing there that it was actually hard to work, but we did -- sharing our visions for an even greener apple."
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Apple Park in Cupertino, CA. Image: Shutterstock |
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Call to Action: The Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act
As outlined in this recent op-ed by Bob Houghton, CEO of Sage Sustainable Electronics and a founding supporter of e-Stewards, SEERA will promote responsible, domestic recycling to help stop the flow of toxic exports from the U.S., which harm the environment and workers in developing countries. With support from the Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER), SEERA passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is currently in a conference committee negotiating a compromise China competitiveness bill.
By contacting your House and Senate representatives now, you can help ensure SEERA remains in the final bill. You can use this sample letter as a convenient online tool for contacting your representatives. Please write your reps now!
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2022 ITAD Summit
e-Stewards will attend the upcoming ITAD Summit in Hollywood, FL, from July 26-27. Let us know if you will be there! Please set up a meeting with us via email, on the Conference App, or come by our booth, particularly if you are newly interested in joining e-Stewards. On the second day, come and hear Jim Puckett's new presentation "How Far We Have Come / New Directions," followed by the showing (live premiere) of the ADVANCE+ film and explanation the nuts and bolts of the e-Stewards ADVANCE+ worker inclusion program by Bill Morris.
2022 E-Scrap Conference
e-Stewards will attend the upcoming e-Scrap Conference, September 19-21 in New Orleans. Founder Jim Puckett will be speaking during the Conference, and e-Stewards will hold a workshop for newcomer e-Stewards. We aim to have a booth presence as well. Please let us know if you will be there, and if you would like to assist in our workshop.
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Webinar: e-Waste Update from the Basel Convention |
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Webinar: 2022 ADVANCE+ Program |
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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 make use of 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 news and invite you to share ideas with info@e-stewards.org. Thank you for reading!
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