New e-Stewards Announcement at ITAD Summit

The e-Stewards team will be in Scottsdale this week for the 2023 ITAD Summit. Our Acting Certification Director Selena Turnock and Business Manager Daniel Puckett will be representing e-Stewards at the conference.

Selena and Daniel will be leading a panel entitled, “Choosing the Certification that is Best for You,” on Wednesday, July 19 from 1:00 – 1:50 pm in the Palomino Ballroom. In this session, you will have the opportunity to gain insights about the e-Stewards Standard from a panel of current e-Stewards certified processors and partners. They will share what motivated them to choose e-Stewards and provide valuable experiences for you to consider as you embark on the certification journey. During the presentation Selena will be making a new announcement regarding the enhancement of the e-Stewards ecosystem. 

The panel will include:

• Joe Clayton of ARCOA
• Tom Delich of Greeneye Partners
• Jeff Gloyd of EvTerra
• Amanda Tischer-Buros of Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations

If you will be in Scottsdale and want to meet our team, please reach out to Selena (selena@e-stewards.org) or Daniel (daniel@e-stewards.org) or contact us through the conference app.

e-Stewards Makes First-Year Discount Permanent

In 2022, e-Stewards offered an introductory discount on the first-year license and marketing fee for new processors becoming e-Stewards certified. After several companies took advantage of this opportunity to achieve certification, we have decided to extend this 50% discount rate on all new companies’ first-year license and marketing fees.

This discount lowers barriers by offsetting the higher-than-normal costs incurred when a company first certifies to a new standard and will help companies give the new standard a discounted trial run. We aim to help every company that aspires to certify to the Gold Standard of electronics recycling to make that a reality. The program will be made permanent on July 14 and 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!

Global Ewaste Solutions grows with ADVANCE+

Global Ewaste Solutions has joined the growing ranks of e-Stewards Certified recyclers who have graduated from the ADVANCE+ workforce inclusion program for employees with disabilities. At their U.S. location in Plymouth, MN, Global Ewaste Solutions (GES) is partnering with Wayzata Public Schools to provide employment opportunities to young adults in their special education transition program. Bill Morris, Founder of Blue Star Recyclers, the company that helped e-Stewards develop ADVANCE+, recently visited GES to participate in the launch of their program.

After completing their ADVANCE+ training, GES hosted an open house and hiring fair in June for students in the special education transition program from nearby Wayzata Public Schools. At the event, several student candidates and their parents were given a tour of the GES facility and learned about the industry, the company’s story, their certifications, and the scopes of work performed at the facility. The students then had an opportunity to get hands-on experience tearing down CPUs, testing LCD monitors, and sorting incoming material to get a sense of the tasks the job might entail.

“We are experiencing growth across all our lines of business,” said Dave Potter, Global Ewaste Solutions’ Principal and Director of Sales. “The e-Stewards ADVANCE+ program will enable us to meet the corresponding human resource demands, leverage an outstanding workforce, and produce measurable social impact.”

An ADVANCE+ candidate observes Dave Potter of GES demonstrate a task at their recent open house.

Following the job fair, two students from Wayzata Schools were offered a letter of employment and two more individuals were hired from the local community following the launch. Over the summer, GES and Wayzata Public Schools will continue to work on expanding their partnership. GES is also beginning a supplemental job training program called “Discover Ability,” which will offer up to $250 to any employee to be spent on job-related self-development training like college classes or certifications and build a library of materials as a resource for employees at work.

A group photo at the recent job fair at Global Ewaste Solutions in Plymouth, MN.

ADVANCE+ is an e-Stewards initiative focused on providing jobs for individuals with autism and other disabilities while creating bottom-line benefits for Certified e-Stewards. To date, nine e-Stewards have completed the ADVANCE+ program and have collectively hired over 50 people with disabilities. The program was developed by Blue Star Recyclers in Colorado, James Emmett and Company, and e-Stewards, with training support funding provided by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.

To learn more about the e-Stewards ADVANCE+ program, watch the short film below.

ER2 becomes e-Stewards Certified at all eight of its sites

Electronic Responsible Recyclers (ER2) has achieved e-Stewards^® certification at all eight of its locations across the country. Founded in 2011 and specializing in innovative technology lifecycle solutions, ER2 operates across the United States, with locations in Mesa and Phoenix, AZ; Memphis and Nashville TN; Council Bluffs, IA; Winter Haven, FL; West Sacramento, CA; and Houston, TX. With its sites in Tennessee and Iowa, ER2 has become the first to achieve the distinction of e-Stewards certification in these states.

"Our clients want peace of mind when disposing of their end-of-life IT assets,” said Chris Ko, CEO and Founder of ER2. “They need to be confident that their vendor of choice handles their ITAD data and hardware without compromising privacy or the environment. Being e-Stewards Certified provides that confidence. We are proud to have the e-Stewards name attached to our brand."

e-Stewards Certification requires the highest standard for ethical and responsible processing, including NAID AAA data destruction, safe and proper reuse of used electronic equipment, and assurance that hazardous fractions are not exported to developing countries. As an e-Stewards company, ER2 serves its partners with world-class, complete IT asset management services from installation to deployment while at its core operating to the highest socially and environmentally responsible practices. Additionally, ER2 boasts a designation as a Great Place To Work^® and was listed as one of Inc. Magazine’s 2021 list of 5000 fastest growing companies in America.

“As an e-Stewards recycler, ER2 now adheres to the highest standard for safe and secure handling of your data and hardware,” said Selena Turnock, Acting e-Stewards Certification Director. “With their addition to the e-Stewards community, our mission’s footprint extends to Tennessee and Iowa and provides greater services in Arizona, Florida, Texas, and California.”

Continuing from the last edition, e-Stewards wishes to introduce two more of its Leadership Council members. Heather Trim has more than 25 years of experience in environmental work ranging from zero waste to toxic chemicals and habitat issues. As Executive Director of Zero Waste Washington, her focus has been on reducing upstream sources of waste and addressing downstream impacts, getting toxic chemicals out of products, eliminating plastic pollution, and building on the organization’s signature producer responsibility policy initiatives. Much of her time is spent on policy programs. Previously, at Futurewise, she worked to prevent runoff from entering our waterways and improve shoreline management practices and policies. Heather was at People for Puget Sound for over ten years where she focused on protections for the marine environment. Earlier, she was a staff scientist for the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council and worked for the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board on water quality standards, regulatory permits, pollution assessments, greening the LA rivers and habitat renewal.

Adrian Tan, also from the Seattle area, works for King County (WA) in the Solid Waste Division on recycling and waste prevention issues. He holds a PhD in circular economy business models from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Originally trained as a mechanical engineer, he has worked for several different companies such as Bang & Olufsen, Novo Nordisk and Nokia designing and developing products. In the past decade, he has advised the European Commission and performed numerous studies on topics related to eco-design, eco-innovation and the circular economy.

Support SEERA!

For Environmental Justice, National Security, & Level Playing Field

The Secure e-Waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA) aligns with the e-Stewards Standard by restricting the export of untested and non-working electronic equipment and scrap from the United States. The bill was introduced last month in the U.S. House of Representatives as H.R. 4217 with bipartisan support.

Like the e-Stewards standard and the Basel Convention, SEERA limits used electronics exports to tested, working devices and processed commodity materials, with exceptions for manufacturer returns and items for personal use. America’s current toxic trade in electronic waste with developing countries would under SEERA become illegal under federal law.

• SEERA protects national security by choking the e-scrap supply to overseas chip counterfeiting and data harvesting operations.

• By making domestic recycling of electronic scrap the law of the land, SEERA creates U.S. jobs by ensuring unscrupulous collectors and processors are no longer able to export jobs along with toxic and difficult to recycle e-wastes by simply exporting e-waste to developing countries.

"The support of all e-Stewards for SEERA is urgently needed now to ensure passage in both the House and Senate in the 118th Congress," said Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network (BAN), founder and administrator of the e-Stewards initiative. "Please take a short moment to help make this finally happen."

Take action:

• Contact your local representatives to show your support for this legislation. Use this tool to find your representatives’ contact information.
• Join CAER to add your company’s name to our cause. It’s free. All we ask is that you communicate your support for SEERA to your Members of Congress.
• Contribute financially. As a fully volunteer-run organization, 100% of contributions are used for our lobbying and communications campaigns. Contact Lindsay Bencick by emailing lbencick@whitmerworrall.com.

About CAER:

The Coalition for American Electronics Recycling is the voice of the e-waste recycling industry on Capitol Hill. CAER includes more than 135 companies and supporting members operating more than 300 facilities in 37 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

e-Stewards Standard Tip



Conditionally Allowable Options: All e-Stewards organizations must ensure that Materials of Concern (MOC), which include Basel-listed hazardous wastes, as well as an additional list of Problematic Components or Materials (PCMs), are managed according to the processing requirements listed in the table located found in Appendix A.8.6.1. In that table, in addition to the requirements already described in Section 8.6.1, organizations can find acceptable and unacceptable technologies for electronic waste fractions containing Materials of Concern.

Usually, these list a hierarchy of preferred to prohibited options. Sometimes certain processes are listed as “Conditionally Allowable” and require e-Stewards Organizations to provide the e-Stewards Administration with a written justification of their decision to use this option based on 5 criteria (see 8.6.1), as follows:

Documentation shall include evidence that all “preferred” options are not viable due to one or more of the following:

1. The MOC is not accepted by any facility considered a “preferred” option;
2. Legal or logistical barriers in transporting or exporting materials to all available “preferred” options are insurmountable;
3. The total costs of using the least costly “preferred” option are more than twice the cost of using a “conditionally allowable” option;
4. No available facility in the “preferred” option category satisfies the downstream accountability requirements [Appendix A.8.6.1]; and/or
5. When considered from a Life-Cycle Perspective, a convincing case can be made that the preferred option(s) is more damaging to the environment than the chosen conditionally allowable option.

e-Stewards Certified Processors seeking to use a Conditionally Allowable option must cite one or more reasons above in their written justification and provide sufficient evidence to allow the e-Stewards Program Administrator to approve such use.



If you have any questions on the process for Conditionally Allowable options under the e-Stewards Standard, please contact Selena Turnock, Acting Certification Director, at selena@e-stewards.org.

Featured Video

Plymouth Company Finds Niche Repurposing E-Waste

This short film provides an insightful snapshot of Global Ewaste Solutions’ recent hires (see story above) following their training with the ADVANCE+ program.

ITAD Summit 2023

July 18 – 19, 2023: Scottsdale, AZ

e-Stewards will be in attendance with a presentation and booth. Please visit us at booth C49 and come to our e-Stewards panel on Wednesday, July 19 from 1:00 – 1:50 pm in the Palomino Ballroom.



E-Scrap & E-Reuse Conference

September 18 – 20, 2023: New Orleans, LA

e-Stewards will be in attendance with a workshop and booth. Please stop by at conference, and if you are interested in sponsoring our attendance, please contact Daniel Puckett (daniel@e-stewards.org).