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

Comprenew enhances their workforce with ADVANCE+

Comprenew, an e-Stewards recycler based in Grand Rapids, MI, has successfully graduated from the ADVANCE+ workforce inclusion program, employing nine new workers on the autism spectrum. Hired through working interviews to give candidates a sense of the work they would be doing, their AWARE disassembly team (Adults With Autism Recycling Electronics) increases the organization’s workforce by 15% and includes one individual brought on as a project manager. Comprenew is planning to continue to expand this program this fall with vocational training and a bridge to employment program through a local school district, open to young adults with all disabilities.

“Over the years, the Comprenew community has grown through staff and customer diversity,” said Scott VanderKooy, president of Comprenew. “The ADVANCE+ program gave us confidence in our ability to achieve even more impact through a higher level of inclusion.”

Founded in 1986 as a for-profit refurbisher of mainframe computer equipment serving leasing companies, Comprenew became a nonprofit organization in 2004 and expanded its activities to include social programs, largely focused on providing refurbished devices and training resources to close the digital divide in at-risk and marginalized populations. e-Stewards’ ADVANCE+ is an inclusive workforce development program for certified electronics recyclers in the United States, which has trained eight electronics recyclers at 11 locations across the country, resulting in the permanent and competitive employment of 51 people with disabilities.

e-Stewards expands its footprint in the U.S.

e-Stewards continues its strong growth in the last six months, adding fourteen certified locations since September. This brings the total certified processing sites to 98, a 16% increase. The expansion is expected to continue, as there are 21 sites currently in process to be certified, representing both current recyclers with new sites and new companies anticipating certification in the coming months. During this period, three new companies have become e-Stewards certified: Regency Technologies, Electronic Responsible Recyclers (ER2), and Techno Rescue, with 19 processing sites across the country between them. One organization, eGreenIT, has been removed from the program following a Critical Non-Conformity Investigation.

Circular Integrity becomes an e-Stewards Enterprise

Circular Integrity, a new IT consulting firm with the goal of helping companies enhance their ITAD & Reverse Logistics practices, has joined the elite ranks of e-Stewards Enterprises. With over 20+ years of best-in-class expertise serving every participant in the IT supply chain, they have proven experience in building and enhancing programs from the startup phase through the most experienced providers in the world. They help their clients navigate everchanging regulations, certifications, service requirements, and systems connectivity to create comprehensive solution requirements.

“We’re excited to continue our journey with and the support of the e-Stewards organization and its community of Enterprises and Recyclers,” said Todd Zegers, President & CEO of Circular Integrity. “The e-Stewards Standard represents what our organization is all about and we look forward to helping e-Stewards continue to improve and enhance the ITAD and e-waste industries.”

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.

Leadership Council Spotlight

Continuing from last edition, e-Stewards wants to introduce two more of its newest Leadership Council members. Kevin R. Webb directs environmental sustainability and social impact efforts in the Americas region at Mitsubishi Electric. He is also responsible for national grantmaking and corporate employee volunteer programs as Senior Director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation. The Foundation’s vision is to empower youth with disabilities to lead productive lives by building a pipeline of talent to help create a more inclusive and sustainable society for all. Webb holds a BA in International Studies and an MA in Public Administration from the Ohio State University.

Robert Valair is the Director of Energy and Environmental Management for Staples, Inc. He has over thirty years’ experience in energy strategy and management. He is responsible for the Staples Global Energy Program for 1600 retail stores and four large distribution centers. Bob leads the Energy Management Group, which is part of the Staples Sustainability Program. He has been recognized for his leadership in energy efficiency, being an early adopter of new technologies, and for his consistent results in energy reduction and cost savings. His program has been honored with multiple awards from the DOE, Energy Star, and Platts Global Energy.

Open e-Stewards Leadership Council Seat for Processors

The e-Stewards Leadership Council is an advisory body comprised of representatives from e-Stewards certified processors, Enterprise companies/organizations, government or associations, and international representatives from any category. We are currently calling for nominations for an open seat on the Council for a processor representative.

Members on the Leadership Council act as advisors to the e-Stewards Certification Program and mission and are able to sit on a variety of committees to contribute further to the e-Stewards Standard, membership of the Leadership Council, and support of the e-Stewards ADVANCE+ inclusion workforce program.

Any representative of an e-Stewards processor may nominate themselves or another e-Stewards processor. Please submit a letter explaining why you/they and your company would be a good fit for the Leadership Council, as well as a current personal CV or resume to [email protected].

BAN at ISRI 2023

Jim Puckett, Executive Director of Basel Action Network, administrator of e-Stewards, will be attending the ISRI Convention in Nashville, TN, in April. Jim would be happy to meet up at that time, so send him a note at [email protected].

Jim will be joining a panel to highlight the new Amendments at the Basel Convention on plastic wastes as well as e-wastes. The new Amendments will have profound impacts for electronics recyclers. It is important to understand the implications and prepare in advance to meet these new compliance objectives.

The panel will take place on April 18 from 4:00PM. Paul Hagen of Beveridge & Diamond, Patricia Whiting of Sims Lifecycle Services, and Rike Sandlin (moderating) of Rivervista Partners will be joining Jim in the discussion.

Industry News

State right-to-repair laws to watch

After New York state enacted the country’s first right-to-repair bill in December, several states have followed their lead, beginning the push to pass their own laws in 2023. These bills differ in the types of products that they cover, but all reflect the growing movement to put the power back in consumers’ hands when it comes to repairing their assets. In Washington state, the Fair Repair Act focuses on electronics and has advanced out of the state House and was addressed in a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy, and Technology earlier this week. In a public hearing in Oregon, representatives of the video game industry pushed back against Senate Bill 542, a similar bill to Washington’s, citing the possibility of increased piracy which would risk copyright and intellectual property. California’s Right to Repair Act would expand the list of covered devices to include many more consumer and electronic products, including cell phones and home appliances. The Maine Right to Repair Coalition has submitted over 70,000 signatures for certification to the Secretary of State in an effort to include an initiative on the November ballot to make vehicle diagnostic equipment available to independent repair shops and individuals.

Battery Recycling News

Call2Recycle, an e-Stewards Enterprise and the nation’s largest consumer battery stewardship and collection program, reports collecting nearly 8 million pounds of batteries in the U.S. in 2022. While the overall number represents an small decrease of 2% from 2021, lithium-ion battery collection increased 13% with over 3 million pounds of batteries collected.

In Oregon, e-Stewards certified Universal Recycling Technologies has been processing batteries collected in curbside collection from a handful of locales. In Clackamas, Marion, and Washington counties, residents place the batteries (with terminals taped) in a 1-quart plastic bag in their separate glass recycling container. This strategy has been popular with the public and serves as a solution to the growing problem of fires in trucks and MRFs caused by batteries.

Two large battery recyclers have received large conditional federal loans from the Department of Energy for construction of their facilities. Redwood Materials in McCarren, NV, has received a $2 billion federal loan, and Li-Cycle in Rochester, NY, has received $375 million. In the announcement regarding Redwood Materials, the Department of Energy stated that this facility would be the “first domestic facility to support production of anode copper foil and cathode active materials in a fully closed-loop lithium-ion battery manufacturing process.”

Australian researchers have discovered a method to remove rust from batteries using high-frequency sound waves, potentially tripling battery life. The researchers discovered this using a nanomaterial called ‘MXene’, they say this discovery may lead to batteries that can last up to nine years.

Perspectives

e-Stewards Standard Guidance Tip

Stewardship Management System: The e-Stewards Standard requires and defines a Stewardship Management System (SMS); the Organization’s internal system for managing its plans and processes in order to achieve intended results and to foster Stewardship. The SMS is governed by the e-Stewards Standard, including its documented scope (Section 4), and integrates NAID AAA, ISO 14001 or RIOS, and any other applicable standards to which the Organization is certified.

Section 4.1 of the e-Stewards Standard describes the creation, maintenance, and implementation of an SMS that covers an Organization’s operations within each country in which the Organization exists. The SMS shall be created to determine internal and external issues, positive and negative, with consideration to identified interested parties. To break down this definition further, guidance has been created to clarify the following:

An Organization can be either an e-Stewards Processor or a company preparing for e-Stewards certification.

Interested parties means: workers (contractors and volunteers included), drivers, families of workers, visitors to the facilities, customers, supplies and service providers, Downstream Providers, regulators, surrounding communities, the ecosystem, etc.

Documented scope means: The scope on CB-issued certificates is a summary of the processes verified by the Organization’s certification; the documented scope required by this section describes and expands on what is included in that verification.

Featured Interview

John Shegarian, co-founder and CEO of e-Stewards certified processor ERI, spoke with Recycling Today about his experiences in the electronics recycling industry, including the shift away from leaning on commodities for revenue, new focuses on cybersecurity and ESG in recent years, and the company’s newly achieved carbon-neutral status.