Summary
Do you want to know what’s the importance of R2 Responsible Certification? Go through this article to learn in details.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you purchase something with your mobile device? Most of the consumers think about the trade-in value. It is obvious when an amount of $400 million is returning to the consumers each quarter. This data justifies the need to focusing on getting maximum money out of the old device. However, don’t forget that money can’t be your only concern. Most of the customers want to protect their personal data as well. Well, the same would be the perception of your customers. Like you, they may want to protect their personal data while transacting with your business. To be more specific, they may want to work with an R2 Responsible Recycling Certified Vendor.
If you are happy with the factory reset option then you must know that factory reset is not enough. Factory reset may not always delete all the data of the consumer’s mobile devices. R2 certification can ensure your customers about their privacy. Perhaps that’s the reason most of the companies are inclining towards this certification.
What is the R2 Certification?
“R2” stands for “Responsible Recycling”. Vendors who need electronic reuse, repair, and recycling should think about this certification to make sure the quality, transparency, and environmental or social responsibility. This standard demands certain criteria and expectations that the companies must fulfill. These requirements have been designed to demonstrate that R2 certified companies are dealing with electronics in the best possible way.
R2 requirements include:
• Documentation for the environmental, health, and safety management
• Documentation for legal or regulatory compliance
• Documentation for data destruction, storage, and security
The housing body of Sustainable Electronics Recycling International or SERI is not going to vet the uncertified companies. It implies that the processing of such a company is not subject to the strict compliance audit, which is a mandatory requirement for R2 certification. This particular requirement has been mentioned in ISO 13485 certification guidelines as well.
Benefits of R2 Certification
There are a number of benefits of R2 certification. Let’s have a look at some of the major benefits of R2 certification:
• Promotes safe and efficient recovery
• Encourages reuse of electronic equipment and materials
• Protects the downstream controls of the recycling chains
• Reduces the environmental and public health risks
• Proves compliance with domestic and international law
• Reduces the liability
• Encourages reduced insurance costs for the recyclers
• Helps in original equipment manufacturing
• Instills public confidence via certified third-party review
Data Security
The R2 standard makes sure that all personal data has been completely wiped during the processing. It also prevents violation of sensitive data. This security level is achieved through approved data clearing methods. These methods are set out by the “National Institute of Standards and Technology” (NIST). Whenever a device goes through data clearing, it receives a “Certificate of Date Destruction”.
Environmental Impact
Many studies have revealed that almost 49.8 million metric tons of electronic waste had been generated in 2018. Small electronic devices such as mobile phones are found to be the most common ingredient. Only a few consumers will think about where their trade-in devices end up. However, knowing the fact that you are responsibly disposing of a device is no doubt a value-added benefit for the R2 Responsible Recycling certified companies.
R2 is the right for the individuals and the environment. How an organization should determine whether R2 is the right choice for them. We all know that being green got easier, R2 provides you with a proper business strategy that can draw the attention of environment-friendly consumers. This way, the certification actually positively affects the bottom line. Like other management standards, R2 is looking for a two-staged audit process. A recycling company that is looking for R2 certification will be able to double the benefits by having a certified ISO 9001, ISO 14001, or OHSAS 18001-management system.
A Final Takeaway
These days, time is considered as money. R2 recycling saves time as well. Since you are employing a smarter and advanced method for recycling or reusing electronics waste, you are reducing the time and increasing the efficiency of your disposing system.
What are you waiting for? Win your customers’ trust by getting the accreditation to the R2 certification!
Damon Anderson is a renowned blogger who has been associated with an ISO consulting firm for years. He takes a keen interest in electronic waste and medical device management. That is why most of his blogs are based on R2 Responsible Recycling certification and ISO 13485 certification.