Seattle Mariners becomes e-Stewards Enterprise

The Basel Action Network (BAN), Seattle, has recognized the Seattle Mariners as an e-Stewards Enterprise because of the sports team’s responsible electronic scrap management efforts. The Mariners are the first professional sports team to receive the recognition, according to BAN.

BAN says e-Stewards Enterprises pledge to take steps to prevent the export of hazardous materials in electronic scrap, particularly by not exporting toxic waste to developing countries.

“Through our comprehensive sustainability policy, the Mariners work to reduce our impact on the environment. This pledge is something we can do to ensure that the recyclers we work with are responsibly handling the waste we turn over to them,” says Scott Jenkins, Seattle Mariners vice president, ballpark operations. 

“At this pivotal moment in the worldwide e-waste crisis, the Seattle Mariners join a growing number of business, academic and governmental leaders taking action to stem a toxic tide engulfing poorer communities in Africa and Asia,” says Jim Puckett, executive director of BAN. “We are very impressed by this act of leadership on this matter.” 

As an e-Stewards Enterprise, the Seattle Mariners commit to using, whenever possible, e-Stewards certified electronics recyclers. E-Stewards recyclers undergo an independent audit each year that it designed to guarantee they will not export hazardous e-scrap to developing countries, dump such material into municipal landfills nor use prison labor for managing such waste. Further, they use state-of-the-art data destruction technologies and practices to prevent loss of private data, BAN says.