The Circular is Here! / The e-Stewards Newsletter

The e-Stewards Newsletter

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. It is a publication open to all who share the goal of ensuring an ethical circular economy for electronics.

To join or sign up new members to the Circular, click here.

e-Stewards News

N.Y. right-to-repair bill finally passes after revisions

New York state has enacted the Digital Fair Repair Act, the country’s first right-to-repair bill. It requires all manufacturers doing business in the state to make repair parts, tools, and documentation available to the public on consumer devices. It will go into effect on July 1, 2023, and applies to equipment that is both manufactured for the first time and sold or used in the state for the first time on or after that date. The law was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in the final days of 2022, over six months after it passed the state legislature, and was revised after pushback from electronics manufacturers and business groups. Some changes to the original bill include the elimination of requirements that could compromise security features, some allowances to provide assemblies of parts instead of individual components if improper installation heightens the risk of injury, and an exemption for digital products that are the subject of business-to-business or business-to-government sales without a retail component. It would also require manufacturers that contract with third-party repair shops or provide their own repair services to provide parts, tools, and documents at reasonable costs to consumers and independent repair shops.

Leadership Council Spotlight

Continuing from last edition, e-Stewards wants to introduce two more of its newest Leadership Council members. Kabira Stokes, CEO of Retrievr, joined the Leadership Council in October 2022 as an Enterprise representative. Before her time at Retrievr, she was the Founder and CEO of Isidore Electronics Recycling and Homeboy Recycling, both full-service e-waste recycling and IT Asset Disposition social enterprises that focus on offering employment opportunities to people who face systemic barriers to employment. Kabira holds a Master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California and has worked for the City of Los Angeles as Senior Field Deputy for then Council President Eric Garcetti. Honors and awards include “Sustainable Social Entrepreneur of the Year” by the L.A. Sustainable Business Council and the inaugural “Smart on Crime” award by then California Attorney General Kamala Harris. In 2019, Kabira was featured as the first-ever woman to grace the cover of Recycling Today magazine.

Paulo Batista joins the Leadership Council as an International representative from Latin America. He is the Senior Manager of Services for Ingram Micro, an American distributor of information technology products and services. The company is based in Irvine, California and has operates worldwide. Paulo is responsible for creating value added services ecosystems for resellers and vendors and adding Circular Economy view of business as part of its role through ITAD and XaaS solutions. Additionally, Paulo is SME of Circular Economy and Global RLA Member. Married and father of a baby girl, Paulo holds two MBAs in Digital Business at USP and Supply Chain at Rutgers.

If you are interested in joining the Leadership Council, there will be one open seat in January for recyclers and two open seats for both Enterprises and NGOs. Further, our Social Impact Committee is open to non-LC members (with approval). If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Selena Turnock at selena@e-stewards.org for more information.

International News

Spain arrests smugglers of e-waste to Africa

Spanish police have arrested 43 people suspected of illegally shipping 331 containers of hazardous electronic waste sent via Spain’s Canary Islands to several African countries in the last two years. The 5,000 tonnes of e-waste went mostly to Ghana, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Senegal and was falsely characterized as second-hand goods in forged customs documents. Once e-wastes reach Africa, they are typically burned and dumped in local landfills. Such operations are highly polluting with high levels of contaminants such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs), dioxins, and heavy metals released to harm workers, communities, and the environment. Additionally, in Thailand, after complaints of air pollution, officials discovered 200 tons of illegal imported electronic waste at two Chinese-funded factories and charged the executives with multiple crimes.

Agbogbloshie, Ghana. Burning of electronic waste to extract copper and steel. Photo Credit: Basel Action Network.

Industry Innovations

E.U.-funded GRINNER project aims to develop an AI-driven battery identification system using X-ray detection and robots to reduce facility fires caused by batteries in waste streams.

e-Stewards Certified processor ERI has launched new proprietary Optimal Character Recognition technology to highlight text in a picture, moving the intake of electronic devices to a near-automated experience where the user only needs to take a photo of the device itself to extract its identifying details. Initially implemented earlier this year, the company reports that efficiency has improved by approximately 250% while also increasing accuracy.

e-Stewards Enterprise Samsung continues to expand its self-repair program to include Galaxy laptops and more models of smartphones, for which consumers will be able to access free repair manuals and buy parts through iFixit.

Dell’s Concept Luna, an experimental modular laptop project, enables users to completely assemble and disassemble the device in mere minutes by eliminating adhesives and cables, creating easily replaceable components for repairs and upgrades.

ERI achieves official carbon neutral status

e-Stewards Certified processor ERI, the nation’s largest fully integrated IT and ITAD provider, has announced that it is now 100% carbon neutral for all its operational emissions nationwide. The company has been working toward this goal since it was founded, according to ERI’s Chairman/CEO John Shegarian, and has achieved it through both operational changes and offset efforts. Among some of the carbon-reducing measures taken, they listed zero-emission vehicles, energy-efficient lighting, recycled furniture, and shifting to off-peak demand energy usage. Always looking to do more to reduce their footprint, they are considering further future efforts, including EV trucks and evaluation of renewables at their facilities. “As we continue to grow as an organization,” says Shegarian, “We want to keep our climate impact from growing with us. There is no finish line in the world of sustainability – we can all always do more.” e-Stewards applauds ERI’s achievement, as they go above and beyond to champion the causes of sustainability and circularity.

New Perspectives

e-Stewards Standard Tip

Misuse of term "Campus" prompts new Guidance on Multi-Site Processing Facilities: Guidance regarding the definition of a Processing Facility created based on the incorrect use of the term “campus” and “campus certifications” will be included in the soon-to-be published Guidance Document for v4.1 of the e-Stewards Standard. The term and concept of a “campus” site or certificate is not used by the e-Stewards Standard, nor any IAF standards which govern the e-Stewards accreditation and how multi-site certifications are managed. The term “campus” is currently only used and defined by the AS9104/1 (aerospace industry) and R2:V3 Standards.

e-Stewards Certification defines Processing Facilities and Ancillary Facilities and the relationship between them. The certification auditing requirements regarding multi-facility companies under the e-Stewards Program are further clarified in Appendices B and C of e-Stewards v4.1, accessed here.

Under the new Guidance, Processing Facilities consisting of two or more buildings/addresses that exist in close proximity (within a circle of one mile in diameter, unless otherwise approved by the e-Stewards Program Administrator) and are all used collectively to process electronic waste within the scope of the e-Stewards Standard will be considered a single facility under the program, and shall be audited as such by your Certifying Body, if the organization so chooses. We understand that some CBs have issued Campus Certifications for e-Stewards. These will be rectified, at least in name.