R2 passed a significant milestone this month when the number of responsible electronic recycling facilities that hold R2 certification surpassed 200 globally. The number of certified facilities has doubled in approximately seven months. Organizations seeking responsible solutions for properly disposing of used electronic equipment now have more choice than ever when seeking a recycling partner.
Recyclers are choosing to be certified to the R2 Standard at a much more rapid pace than other standards - the number of R2-certified facilities far eclipses the number of facilities holding other certifications. This reflects the fact that while the R2 Standard is exceedingly stringent in environmental-protection requirements, it also accommodates innovation, stakeholder input and global operation.
With the addition of newly-certified facilities, R2-certified recyclers are now located in several geographies in North America, Europe and Asia. The R2 Standard is a strong global standard that places the same requirements on recyclers regardless of geography. Certified recyclers must demonstrate to independent auditors practices that protect the environment and human health and safety, and each of a recycling company's facilities must be independently audited.
The newly certified facilities include the first public entity to receive certification, the Waste Commission of Scott County's Electronic Demanufacturing Facility. The Iowa organization is an inter-governmental agency representing 17 communities and Scott County. The Commission offers several services including an electronics recycling facility serving residents and businesses in Iowa and Western Illinois. The Commission can now assure its customers through the R2 certification that it is operating with the highest levels of environmental and human health and safety protection.
"We are proud to be the first R2-certified facility in the state of Iowa," said Keith Krambeck, special waste manager for Waste Commission of Scott County. "Becoming R2-certified was one of the goals of the Commission's Environmental, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. While we already had an EHSMS in place, the R2 standard was much more rigorous and our staff worked extremely hard to meet those standards. Because of this, we feel we have an outstanding EHSMS that will better protect our employees and better serve the needs of our customers," he said.
R2 will continue to grow, certification processes are underway at a number of additional facilities which will both expand the capacity of responsible recyclers in key markets such as the U.S., and expand to additional geographies where a responsible recycling industry can grow.
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For More Information on the R2 Certification please visit http://www.r2solutions.org/
