The Seattle-based Basel Action Network has announced that Cascade Asset Management’s facilities in Florida, Indiana and California are now e-Stewards Certified. According to a BAN press release, the states of California and Florida now have their first e-Stewards-Certified recycling option. Cascade’s Wisconsin headquarters became e-Stewards Certified in 2010. All of the company’s recycling facilities are now certified to the standard, as required under the terms of e-Stewards.
“In the absence of leadership or laws requiring responsible electronics recycling here in the United States, BAN created a program to help organizations and individuals find responsible electronics recyclers,” says Jim Puckett, BAN executive director. “Certified e-Stewards Recyclers have undergone a rigorous independent audit process to ensure they are not simply dumping this toxic waste on developing countries under the guise of recycling that sadly is the norm in this industry. As a certified e-Stewards Recycler, Cascade Asset Management can assure customers their obsolete electronics will be managed to the highest standards of responsibility,” he says.
The accredited, third-party audited certification program has been endorsed by Greenpeace USA, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Electronics TakeBack Coalition and 68 other environmental organizations. According to BAN, e-Stewards Certification also has drawn the support of major corporate “e-Stewards Enterprises,” such as Wells Fargo, Samsung, Capitol One and Bank of America.
Neil Peters-Michaud, CEO and founder of Cascade, says, “E-Stewards Certification validates Cascade’s ongoing commitment to responsible processing of IT assets. It’s a rigorous standard that evaluates all our operations, systems and downstream management to demonstrate conformance to the highest standard for responsibility in the industry.”