Washington, DC - September 24, 2012 – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI), the voice of the recycling industry, applauds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its announcement of the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge, “an initiative to make protective electronics refurbishing and recycling practices the industry standard.” Electronics companies participating in the challenge will commit to send 100 percent of the used electronics they collect to third-party certified refurbishers and recyclers.
The new EPA program is an effort that ISRI supports to establish benchmarks within the industry that ensure proper recycling practices. According to ISRI, three to four million tons of electronics are recycled each year. With so much consumer data at stake, responsible recycling and certification is paramount for any company seeking to protect sensitive data.
“We commend the EPA for creating this challenge and the forward-thinking companies participating in the initiative,” said Robin K. Wiener, president of ISRI. “Safeguarding consumer information and other sensitive data is a must-have component of the electronics recycling process, and certification is the answer to proper data protection and destruction. We are thrilled that EPA continues to support the R2 Standard as one of the premier gold standards in the industry.”
ISRI administers the R2/RIOS™ certification program, an international recycling standard that uniquely promotes quality products, environmental protection, the health and safety of workers and protects the personal data of consumers and customers at home and abroad. The benefits of R2/RIOS™ certification include:
- Provides financial benefits: returning tested functional electronics equipment and commodity-grade raw materials back into the marketplace.
- Provides environmental benefits including a decreased amount of products sent to landfills resulting in resource conservation and sustainability benefits.
- Enhances a company’s corporate social responsibility and promotes its reputation as a brand dedicated to the highest standards for recycling electronics and IT assets.
- Integrates the best aspects of international quality, environmental and health & safety standards into a single certification.
- Encourages domestic and international trade with other responsible recyclers.
There are currently 275 certified R2 facilities. For additional insight on R2/RIOS™ certification, visit www.isri.org/certifyme.
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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI)
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ISRI represents more than 1,700 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, D.C. the Institute provides education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. For more information about ISRI, visit www.ISRI.org.