R2 Solutions requests your input on the QA program   

R2 Solutions is looking for input from interested parties on the white paper it has developed regarding quality assurance (QA) strategies.  The purpose of these strategies is to promote consistency of interpretation and use of the R2 Standard.  R2 Solutions asks that all interested parties please review this document and provide feedback on our website. 

     The framework of the QA program and the tools that R2 Solutions proposes to develop as part of the program are detailed in the QA whitepaper.  This document is available for download on the R2 Solutions website.  On this same page there is a web form that can be used to provide feedback on specific areas of the whitepaper as well as provide general comments on development of the program.  Please provide your input using the web form by April 27th.   

R2 Governing Council update   

The formal establishment of the R2 Governing Council is underway.  Most importantly, the Governing Council bylaws have been drafted and are currently being reviewed by both the R2 Board of Directors and legal counsel.  Pending their feedback, R2 Solutions expects to post a draft of the bylaws on our website for public input by mid-April.  The R2 Board of Directors then plans to adopt the bylaws by the end of April.  

      R2 Solutions thanks all those who submitted a nomination of someone to serve on the Governing Council.  The nomination review process is underway, and R2 Solutions will be making contact with potential Council members over the coming weeks.  The nomination period has closed for some stakeholder groups, however R2 Solutions will continue to accept nominations for non-OEM customers, environmental organizations and state government representatives through the first week of April.  Nominations should be sent to John Lingelbach at lingelbach@r2solutions.org.  An announcement of the first round of Council members should occur in late April.

IT asset managers get thorough introduction to the R2 Standard 

ITAK, the trade journal produced by the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers (IAITAM) recently published an article discussing the value of seeking R2 certified vendors for ITAD services.  The article entitled The Demand for ITAD Certification, - Clearing Up Confusion about the R2 Standard, by Jenny Schuchert, lays out the R2 Standard's practical approach to addressing e-scrap exporting issues, the management of focus materials (FMs), and maximizing reuse opportunities for working equipment.

     Schuchert describes what can be a challenging decision for IT asset managers when looking for an electronics recycling service provider - "choosing the right vendor with the right credentials".   Certification programs become a valuable tool for customers to evaluate operational performance and materials management practices of recyclers.  However, these certifications can only prove helpful if IT asset managers understand how important environmental and worker safety issues are being addressed by the certification.  As the title of the article suggests, IT asset managers will find the R2 Standard offers a rational approach to establishing best practices around reuse, the management and international movement of commodities, data security and the protection of worker safety. 

     R2 Solutions encourages IT asset managers and others looking for a responsible recycling option for end-of-life electronic equipment to explore the R2 Standard and learn how choosing an R2 certified recycler can further your organization's ability to meet environmental reuse and recycling goals.

Educating the industry about R2 

With 51 certified facilities and dozens in the process of auditing, the R2 Standard has become the most prominent certification program for electronics recycling.  To continue to build on this success, R2 Solutions has been working diligently on a number of fronts to increase awareness about the standard and put the infrastructure in place to carry the standard forward.

     The impact R2 is having on the industry, and the future of the standard, was the topic of discussion in a recent article Responsible Recycling,featured in the March issue of Recycling Today magazine. The focus of this article, written by R2 Solutions, was to inform the broader recycling community about the value the R2 Standard brings to the broader industry, and how the Standard will be further developed to meet the changing needs of the industry and the environment.    

     R2 Solutions will continue to engage the industry through a variety of platforms to educate consumers of recycling services, regulators, recycling program managers and recyclers about the importance of R2 certification.       

Conformity review:  Low grade circuit boards 

Conformity review is a monthly column highlighting important operational  

information as it relates to the R2 Standard

R2 Solutions has received inquiries about the treatment of low-grade circuit boards from recyclers considering R2 certification.  How does the standard address them?  Are they treated the same as high-value circuit boards?  These are good questions, and for some recyclers, this can be one of the more challenging aspects of attaining certification. 

     Low-grade and high-grade circuit boards have the same constituents which make them Focus Materials (unless they do not have lead solder and all batteries and mercury have been removed).  For this reason circuit boards, of any value, must be treated as FMs, following important treatment procedures outlined in the Standard.   Additionally, all equipment containing circuit boards must be treated as FMs until those components are removed.  This means even low-grade equipment such as printers, PDAs, fax machines and other equipment with low-grade circuit boards typically must be dismantled.  Once removed, all low-grade and high-grade circuit boards must be sent to downstream vendors that:

• Are properly licensed to receive them,
• Have appropriate technology in place to process them
• Have documented environmental management systems  
• Manage circuit boards in accordance with all Provision 5 requirements for the treatment of FMs (see the R2 Standard) 

Recyclers also must ensure that all international shipments of FMs are done in accordance with both the exporting and importing country's laws (See Provision 3(a)(2) of the Standard). 

     According to Kelley Keogh, a founder of Greeneye Partners specializing in auditing and compliance, dealing with low-grade circuit boards properly can be one of the more challenging aspects of conformance.  "The manual labor involved in removing these boards costs money, and we are not talking high return on these materials.  Recyclers need to be able to find a way to profitably handle this material in accordance with the Standard, and make the investment to fully vet the downsteam operation that will receive this material.  This can be a real challenge for some recyclers, but this is certainly one area that we are seeing recyclers make better downstream choices as a result of the Standard."