LC Spotlight: Welcome New Leadership Council Members

The e-Stewards team is elated to highlight members of the e-Stewards Leadership Council. The Leadership Council acts as the advisory body to the e-Stewards program, with perspectives from varying stakeholders in the industry including Processors, Enterprises, Manufacturers, Government Entities, NGOs, and International Representatives.

Jane Kang is a Product Stewardship Manager at Samsung Electronics America and is leading an e-waste & battery EPR compliance program covering regulatory compliance, vendor auditing, recycler management, and consumer outreach. She is participating as an ERRO/WMMFA board member to fulfill Samsung's role as a manufacturer for the smooth operation of the e-waste program. Prior to joining Samsung, Jane was a Stewardship Manager at LG Electronics USA, handling e-waste compliance programs. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Jane majored in journalism and business administration at university and graduate school.

Joyce Thung is the Senior Manager, Environmental Programs at VIZIO, Inc. She manages the company’s environmental programs including topics such as electronics recycling, greenhouse gas emissions accounting, and sustainability. Currently, she oversees VIZIO’s electronic waste recycling program which has recycled more than 380 million pounds. Joyce holds a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health.

Become an e-Stewards Lead Auditor:

If you are interested in becoming certified as a Lead Auditor to the e-Stewards Standard, please contact Selena Turnock at selena@e-stewards.org to express your interest and be added to our participant list for the next available session – date and time to be determined. 

e-Stewards & Bloom Travel to Frankfurt:

e-Stewards made a strong showing at The e-Waste World Conference in Frankfurt, joining forces with partner Bloom ESG to share innovations and insights from the evolving landscape of responsible recycling.

At the joint e-Stewards/Bloom booth, attendees engaged with the recently launched Bloom + e-Stewards ITAD Environmental Benefits Calculator, which quantifies avoided greenhouse gas emissions from certified processing. Interest was high from processors, enterprises, and solution providers alike.

From the main stage, Jim Puckett of BAN delivered a well-attended presentation on the real-world implications of the Basel Convention Amendments, six months post-implementation, including developments from the recent e-waste seizures in Thailand. Sebastian Foot, representing Bloom, followed with a compelling session on the need for verifiable ESG metrics—and how the new calculator enables certified processors to confidently communicate their environmental impact through trusted data.

Stay tuned for updates on the calculator and continued collaboration between e-Stewards and Bloom, as we work to equip processors with the tools necessary to measure and deliver real impact for their customers.

e-Stewards Returns to the 2025 ITAD Summit:

We’re excited to be back at the ITAD Summit, July 29–30, 2025, at The Bellagio in Las Vegas. This event continues to be a key touchpoint for connecting with ITAD leaders and advancing conversations around ethical and secure electronics reuse.

To schedule time with the e-Stewards team during the summit, please contact daniel@e-stewards.org.

Register for the e-Scrap Conference (discount code below): 

The 2025 E-Scrap Conference is fast approaching, and e-Stewards is proud to be featured as a Title Sponsor, alongside our partners at I‑Sigma. Taking place October 27–29 in Dallas, TX, this flagship industry event continues to be a key gathering for advancing responsible electronics reuse and recycling practices.

This year’s enhanced role reflects e‑Stewards’ ongoing commitment to promoting ethical standards and supporting processors, enterprises, and policymakers in building a truly circular electronics economy.

Attendees can look forward to:

• Workshops on certification advantages and implementation
• Expert panels on emerging ITAD challenges and solutions
• Strategic networking with enterprise clients and industry leaders
• A showcase of the latest innovations in ESG and responsible processing technologies

Registration is now open at e-scrapconference.com

Use code ESC25ESTEW to receive $100 off your registration.

Join us in Dallas, TX, October 27–29 for three days of learning, collaboration, and connection.

BAN Alerts Lead to Major Seizures of Illegal E-Waste in Southeast Asia:

Following targeted intelligence from BAN’s ongoing investigative initiative, “Operation Can Opener,” customs and environmental enforcement agencies in Malaysia and Thailand have made significant interceptions of illegal electronic waste originating from the United States. These successful actions highlight the growing international coordination to combat unlawful waste shipments.

Between January and mid-May 2025, Malaysian authorities examined 179 containers flagged for inspection. Of these, 122 were seized for containing misdeclared materials. Officials have mandated the return of all seized containers and issued formal warnings to the importers. Under Malaysian law, violations of this nature can result in fines of up to MYR 10 million (approximately $2.3 million USD) and potential imprisonment.

At the same time, Thai authorities intercepted 16 containers containing hazardous materials. Six were identified based on intelligence from BAN, while ten were discovered during routine inspections. These shipments held 238 metric tonnes of hazardous printed circuit board waste, all of which are being returned to the United States.

These coordinated enforcement actions reinforce the critical need for transparent, responsible recycling practices and highlight the risks associated with circumventing international waste trade laws. The success of “Operation Can Opener” demonstrates the value of collaborative enforcement and proactive monitoring in protecting communities and the environment from the harms of illegal e-waste exports.

Malaysia Introduces New Rules Prohibiting All Plastic Waste Imports from the United States

On July 1, imports of all plastic waste will be prohibited from entering Malaysia, under the amended Customs Act (Schedule 4, Part 1, Item 6), unless they are approved by SIRIM Berhad, an agency under the purview of the Malaysian Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysian authorities recently announced. Plastic wastes will only be allowed to enter Malaysia from Basel Parties and thus not from the United States – a non-Party – unless a special bilateral treaty is formed as allowed for under the Basel Convention.

From other countries that are Basel Parties, imported plastic waste must not be mixed, with the sole exception of PP, PE, and PET mixtures. Each individual polymer must have a 99.5% purity level. Furthermore, plastic waste cannot exceed 2% of non-plastic contaminants such as wood, paper, or metal, with a zero tolerance for any food, oil, or e-waste mixed into the loads.

As a valid Article 11 agreement between the United States and Malaysia does not exist at this time to cover plastics, certified processors located in the US are warned that the use of Malaysian downstream vendors for plastics is considered illegal under Basel Convention regulations. Basel Y48 plastics are considered a Problematic Component or Material under the e-Stewards Standard, and under Section 6.1.3.1 International Waste Trade Agreements and National Laws, must be managed in accordance with the Convention’s requirements for Annex II “other” wastes. When countries that have not ratified the Basel Convention are involved in the trade, the prohibition on trade between Parties and non-Parties applies in the absence of a valid Article 11 agreement allowing such trade.



To read the full announcement with more details from BAN, please see here. 

e-Stewards Standard Tip

Material Balance Accounting (MBA)



A unique requirement to the e-Stewards Standard can be found in section 9.1.4 Electronic Equipment Flow Monitoring, and that is the necessity to perform regular Material Balance Accounting. All organizations certified to e-Stewards must document this information for each of their facilities. The documentation must include, at a minimum:

I. Total weight and/or unit count for all incoming quantities of Electronic Equipment;

II. Total weight and/or unit count for all outgoing quantities of Electronic Equipment;

III. Total weight and/or unit count of Electronic Equipment in inventory, including both processed and unprocessed;

IV. The resulting difference in inventory, expressed as a percentage of the total incoming quantities for the MBA period.

Should the calculated percentage noted above be greater than 5%, corrective action shall be taken to determine the cause. Material Balance Accounting must be calculated at least every six months, and documented in a manner easily available to auditors, as this information is required to be verified at each audit in the audit cycle of an organization.

Additionally, the outgoing quantities calculated shall correspond to downstream shipping records to ensure that material is being moved to properly vetted downstream providers. These shipping records shall also include the corresponding acknowledgement of receipt by the downstream provider, which can be in the form of executed BOLs, other signed statements/paperwork, scale tickets, etc.

If there are any questions regarding Material Balance Accounting or other interpretations of the e-Stewards Standard, please contact Selena Turnock, Certification Director, at selena@e-stewards.org.

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!