Columbus, Ohio (June 7, 2005) - Redemtech, the outsource leader in Technology Change Management (TCM), today announced that Computer TakeBack Campaign, a coalition of environmental groups, has approved the company’s Electronics Recycler's Pledge of True Stewardship to impose higher standards for the safe disposal of today's high-tech waste stream. The Pledge, which is sponsored by Computer TakeBack Campaign members, including Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) and Basel Action Network (BAN), calls for recyclers to uphold the world’s most rigorous environmental and social criteria for the dismantling and recycling of electronic waste (e-waste), one of the fastest growing portions of America’s waste stream.
In signing the Pledge, Redemtech vows to continue to prevent hazardous e-waste from being sent to municipal incinerators or landfills, exported to developing countries or dismantled by prison recycling labor. The company also reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that the entire recycling chain, including downstream intermediaries and recovery operations such as smelters, is meeting all applicable environmental and health regulations. In approving Redemtech’s application, SVTC and BAN acknowledge that the company’s current recycling practices meet the Pledge’s strict standards.
“By taking this step, Redemtech commits to the high environmental and social justice goals of the Pledge with a strong focus on preventing export of e-waste to developing countries,” said Ted Smith, Executive Director of SVTC. “Redemtech is unique in the recycling market for its commitment to the reuse of electronic assets and for considering recycling as an option in the process of handling legacy waste only after all possible means of reuse have been applied.”
“Redemtech has always operated on the assertion that the best use for maturing technology is the highest use. That means reuse whenever possible,” said Bob Houghton, President and founder of Redemtech. “Remarketing, redeployment, donation, employee sales, trade-in and parts harvesting all provide higher financial, social and environmental benefits than recycling. Reuse is the overriding principle that delivers these ‘triple bottom line’ benefits. Recycling, as a technology disposition practice, should always be a last resort.”
Computer-related products are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as electronic scrap and as such are regarded as hazardous in the waste stream. While in the United States proper disposal of electronic scrap is governed by the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and environmental remediation is administered by the 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and related Superfund’s statutes, e-waste is still rapidly growing – at three times the rate of other municipal solid waste streams.
Redemtech has taken the lead in developing global remedies to help companies change from under-managed IT asset recovery to continuous, on-demand tech refresh, recovery and recycling. The company provides end-of-life technology disposition solutions to large corporations, where the problem associated with e-waste volume is most acute. The company’s number one priority is to remarket and reuse all products in good working order. Products beyond their useful life or marketability are broken down into raw materials and reused in the manufacturing of new or recycled products.
“Once an asset has reached the end of its productive life in the enterprise, further reuse through resale produces incremental financial benefit, while providing developing countries and disadvantaged individuals throughout the world access to very low cost computing technology,” said Houghton. “Most hardware has an operational life of 8-10 years. By extending its usefulness we also reduce the environmental impact of its manufacture and disposal.”
Houghton adds that parts recovery (harvesting) from inoperative units also reduces waste and extends the working life of other systems.
"True environmental stewardship is a cornerstone of our business and is vital to maintaining our valued reputation as the industry's authority for Technology Change Management," said Jill Vaske, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "By signing this Pledge, we are practicing the very acts of corporate social responsibility that we preach to our clients. We are very proud to be among an elite group of organizations dedicated to helping corporate America practice social responsibility and keep our environment free of the hazardous dangers of electronic waste. We thank Computer TakeBack, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, Basel Action Network and our many clients who are helping to make environmental stewardship a way of life in business today."
About Computer TakeBack Campaign
Computer TakeBack Campaign (www.computertakeback.com) is a broad-based coalition of local, state and national organizations promoting producer responsibility as the solution to America’s growing electronic waste crisis. For more information on the Electronic Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship, visit www.ban.org/pledge1.html.
SVTC (www.svtc.org) is a diverse grassroots coalition that engages in research, advocacy and organizing around the environmental and human health problems caused by the rapid growth of the high-tech electronics industry.
BAN (www.ban.org) is a global network of toxics and development activist organizations that work to prevent the globalization of "toxic trade" – in toxic wastes, toxic products and toxic technologies – and the export of hazardous wastes to developing or newly industrializing countries.
About Redemtech Recycling Practices
Redemtech environmental recycling procedures for compliance with EPA regulations ensure that clients have an audit trial for the disposition of their assets and are indemnified against regulatory liability for improper disposal of electronic scrap.
Redemtech uses EPA-compliant recyclers to reprocess raw materials that result from the in-house de-manufacturing of end-of-life technology. All vendors and other electronic recyclers engaged by Redemtech are required to undergo a stringent due diligence process to ensure their organizations follow the high-level requirements that meet all federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations.
All aspects of the vendors’ processing are documented and reviewed, including water run-off, water quality air emissions and storage practices, to ensure they meet or exceed all EPA requirements. Redemtech takes an active role in policing the practices of contract recyclers to ensure business integrity and financial security. Recyclers are required to sign documentation agreeing that their organization is in compliance with federal, state and local regulations.
Redemtech’s propriety Retrac system provides complete documentation and tracking for each and every product disposition. A Waiver of Liability is submitted with each Certified Audit Report that indemnifies the client against all legal exposure for improper management of electronic scrap. Redemtech also carries environmental insurance coverage to protect against any unforeseen accident that might result from improper handling of electronic material.
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