United States – The Sustainable Materials Management Electronics Challenge has been created to ‘make protective electronics refurbishing and recycling practices the industry standard’, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Already highly commended by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the EPA challenge demands that all participating companies send 100% of the used electronics they collect to third-party-certified refurbishers and recyclers. Both original equipment manufacturers and retailers will be eligible to take part in the challenge.
According to EPA, Americans discard more than 2 million tons of obsolete electronic products each year, while recycling and collection rates are stuck at 38% for computers, 17% for television sets and 8% for mobile devices. The challenge is in line with US President Barack Obama’s National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship, which seeks to underline the growing presence and capacity of the nation’s electronics recycling market.
‘We are thrilled that EPA continues to support the R2 Standard as one of the premier gold standards in the industry,’ remarks ISRI, citing the benefits in terms of corporate social responsibility and the emphasis on product quality. ISRI adds that there are ‘currently 275 certified R2 facilities’.
For more information, visit: www.epa.gov
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