Sims Recycling Solutions certifies to e-Stewards

Electronics recycling company Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS), with North American headquarters in West Chicago, Ill., has announced that it has achieved e-Stewards certification at all of its U.S. processing sites and its Toronto plant. The company’s two additional Canadian sites in Vancouver and Montreal are scheduled to be certified this summer, SRS says.

The e-Stewards certification was created by the Basel Action Network (BAN), a Seattle-based nonprofit environmental organization. The accredited, third-party certification program is based on a standard that prohibits the export of electronic scrap to developing countries, landfilling and the use of prison labor in the recycling process. The e-Stewards standard is endorsed by more than 70 environmental groups, as well as more than 70 major enterprise companies and cities, according to BAN.

E-Stewards certification is designed to assure clients of certified electronics recyclers that they provide complete data destruction, uphold environmental and social responsibility and are aware of all relevant laws to ensure responsible recycling, according to SRS.

“If a company wishes to be called a leader, then it must indeed lead,” says BAN founder Jim Puckett. “Sims Recycling Solutions has proven itself to be a company at the forefront of corporate responsibility, often taking unpopular and costly positions to prevent global e-waste pollution.”

“The e-Stewards certification is the standard that most responsible enterprises refer to when selecting a recycler,” says Steve Skurnac, president of SRS. “Among our extensive profile of health, safety and environmental management certifications, the e-Stewards certification will further provide our customers with the assurance that we are handling their material with integrity and accountability.”

SRS says it “works closely with recognized industry associations to ensure business operations follow and exceed established industry standards.” Each facility has full-time managers who oversee internationally recognized corporate safety programs.

Additional certifications maintained by SRS include Responsible Recycling (R2), ISO 9001 and 14001, OHSAS 18001 and Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA).