The Basel Action Network, or BAN, is a non-governmental charitable organization dedicated to combating the export of toxic waste material (including e-waste) from developed countries to developing and underdeveloped nations. BAN launched the e-Stewards certification program in 2009 for electronics recyclers and refurbishers who want to showcase their commitment to ethical electronics recycling and reuse.
The e-Stewards certification covers all areas of the electronics processing industry and requires the following:
- Reuse and repair of electronic devices.
- Implementation of an EMS (Environmental Management System) like RIOS or ISO 14001.
- Facility to be i-Sigma NAID (National Association of Information Destruction) AAA certified.
- Safe management of materials of concern (hazardous materials).
- Adherence to international laws.
Further, the e-Stewards standard requires refurbishers and recyclers to comply with the Basel Convention, a United Nations hazardous waste treaty ratified by more than 190 countries.
Why e-Stewards?
Before delving into the 9 steps for certification, it is important to know the significance of this certification for refurbishers and recyclers (ITADs). Below are the key benefits that are derived from the e-Stewards certification:
- Data Privacy: Recyclers who comply with e-Stewards standards must ensure the complete destruction of all data entering the facility, in addition to holding NAID certification. NAID AAA certification helps ensure that e-Stewards facilities are not only audited by environmental experts but also by data security experts. This instills customer confidence in organizations providing data destruction services.
- Environmental Responsibility: Complying with e-Stewards promotes a safer and greener world. It prevents the transportation of hazardous e-waste from developed countries and aligns with international and local regulations. Environmental organizations like Greenpeace, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), and the Sierra Club endorse the e-Steward standard.
- Accountability: The e-Stewards certification program adds 3 layers of accountability that include unannounced inspections by conformity managers, GPS tracking using e-Stewards EarthEye technology, and a critical non-conformity policy and investigations. This instills public confidence in the recycling organization's credibility and processes.
- Market Access: Organizations can now bid for federal contracts as all federal facilities are required to get their e-waste recycled by an e-Stewards or R2-certified recycler.
- Cost Effective, Simple & Flexible: The e-Stewards standard is easy to understand, agile enough to evolve with an ever-changing industry, and cost-effective due to easy integration with ISO or RIOS audits.
The e-Stewards certification helps minimize data leaks and frauds and prevents overseas dumping and long audits, thereby streamlining recycling and reuse processes.
9 Steps for Achieving e-Stewards Certification
ITADs, refurbishers, and recyclers go through 9 steps to become an e-Steward certified processor. The steps have been explained below:
Step 1 - Introductory Call: The process begins with an introductory call with an e-Stewards representative. On the call, a brief introduction to the standard is provided, questions are answered, and the recycling organization gets a chance to interact with e-Steward team members.
Step 2 - Downloading the e-Stewards Standard: The next step entails downloading and familiarizing with the e-Stewards standard. Presently, Version 4.1 of the e-Stewards Standard is applicable and was published on February 22, 2022. It is a comprehensive 64-page document that provides:
- Introduction to the e-Steward standard.
- The requirements of the standard, its scope, references, and definitions
- Context of the organization, leadership & its responsibilities
- Organizational planning to address risks and opportunities
- Support in terms of resources, competent personnel, awareness, etc.
- Operational planning and control, emergency responses, and performance evaluation
- Appendix A to D covers additional requirements, administrative rules, and requirements for accreditation bodies, data security, and data sanitization
Step 3 - Gap Analysis: The recycling organization must conduct an analysis to find the gaps between their current operational preparedness and the e-Stewards standard requirements.
Step 4 - Preparation of Facility: On the basis of the gap analysis, the recycling organization prepares the facility according to the e-Stewards Standard requirement in terms of responsible e-waste management, data security, worker health and safety, environmental protection, and compliance with environmental and data security laws.
Step 5 - Facility Audit: The recycling organization is required to get into a contract with any one of the four independent Certifying Bodies (CB) that are accredited by e-Stewards, namely, Perry Johnson Registrars, Inertek, Orion Registrar, and the National Sanitation Foundation to have their processing and secondary facilities audited and certified.
Step 6 - Submit Application: After steps 1 to 5 are fulfilled, the recycling organization will finalize and submit its e-Steward application for certification. The application form will contain the organization's information, contact details, contracted CB, CB audit details, site information, certifications already held, customer type, etc.
Step 7 - Obtain NAID AAA Certification: NAID AAA certification is provided by i-Sigma (International Secure Information Governance & Management Association), an international association of more than 2,500 secure information destruction services providers for complying with data protection laws through rigorous audits and adherence to industry best practices. The recycling organization is required to get the NAID certification to become e-Stewards certified.
Step 8 - Stage 1 & 2 Audit: Complete the Stage 1 & 2 audits for e-Stewards standard and your EMS (ISO 14001 or RIOS). The Recycling Industry Operating Standard is an integrated management system that covers systems like quality, health, safety and environment that has been designed for recyclers. ISO 14001 is a globally accepted standard for EMS (Environmental Management Systems). Organizations can choose from both these standards as their EMS.
Step 9 - Agreement & Fees: Once the recycling has completed the process till step 8, they are then required to bear the annual licensing and marketing fees and sign a marketing & licensing agreement with e-Stewards.
Once the audits have been successfully completed, the e-Stewards certificate will be issued.
Note: The e-Stewards certification needs to be periodically renewed; the frequency for renewal is 3 years. While the certification is valid for 3 years however, the recycling facility must undergo surveillance audits for 2 years after completion of the initial audit to ensure continued conformance with e-Stewards standard for responsible recycling and reuse of e-waste.
BitRaser Data Erasure: Helps Comply With e-Stewards
BitRaser suite of data erasure products for laptops, desktops, Mac devices, servers, and mobile phones helps recycling facility attain their e-Stewards certification by complying with the data sanitization requirements of the standard as mentioned in Appendix D: Data Security. Section 8.9.3 ‘Sanitize all Customer Data’ (Page 63) of the e-Stewards standard requires that “The Organization must effectively sanitize all Customer Data prior to its departure from the Organization’s Control, which may include outsourced processing by an IDP*, by conforming, at a minimum, to either a published national standard for data security in the country or region where services are being delivered or the current version of NIST Special Publication 800-88 Guidelines for Media Sanitization, whichever is more stringent.”
BitRaser is the only data-wiping product tested and certified by NIST for its efficacy alongside other certification bodies like Common Criteria. The software generates reports and certificates of erasure that come in handy for audit purposes. Implementing BitRaser in the recycling facility for wiping drives and devices will help organizations move one step closer to receiving their e-Stewards certification and remain compliant.
* IDP: Immediate Downstream Provider
