We’re further down the path of R2 certification since my last blog post two weeks ago. As a refresher to those unfamiliar with R2, it’s a third-party standard and certification process that guarantees that an electronic recycler is doing the right thing with all the nasty things in electronics, such as circuit boards, leaded glass, fluorescent lamps and toner. This means tracking the materials to their final destination, and ensuring that these materials are recycled properly. It also means that the recycler has demonstrated they’ve developed a resilient, comprehensive system for managing internal health, safety and environmental issues, that is engineering by design to be self-auditing and constantly improving.

Being certified shouldn’t change the way 3R Technology does business. We’re already very confident about our business practices, our accident prevention program and EHSMS (Environmental Health, Safety Management System), and our choice of downstream vendors.

However, it give us the opportunity to more comprehensively document everything we do, and to prove and hold us accountable for excellence in these areas to the larger community.

In order to be audited and certified, we have to select an R2 Registrar. We have a choice from 5 different auditing organizations. In theory, it shouldn’t matter which registrar we choose, but we have found that there are significant differences in cost and more importantly, individual experience of the auditors contracted. We’re of course trying to be cost-effective, but we’re also trying to make sure to choose an auditing body that understands R2, has experience with the electronics recycling industry, and legislation programs, like the e-Cycle WA program.

We’ve also been collecting extensive information from each of our downstream vendors, in order to complete our diligence in this area. In addition to an 11-page questionnaire we’ve created, they’re required to provide proof of liability and pollution insurance, closure plans, copies of federal, state, and local environmental and business permits, and reports of any environmental or safety citations they have ever received.

For those interested in the process and our mission with R2, I uploaded our Updating our 3R Technology R2 Environmental Policy Statement.