Lenovo, Arizona DEQ join R2 Leaders program

Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), Boulder, Colorado, has added the China-based electronics firm Lenovo  and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to the R2 Leaders program.

 

R2 Leaders is a partnership program designed to recognize and coordinate engagement on electronics recycling issues. It is managed by SERI. Companies, organizations and other groups joining the program pledge to manage their electronics responsibly, consider R2 (Responsible Recycling Practices) certification as part of their criteria for choosing a recycler and demonstrate leadership in the field of electronics recycling through the projects and policies, SERI says. 

 

SERI says that Lenovo brings a strong commitment to environmental sustainability in the design of its personal computers and other electronics and has implemented policies to ensure it uses responsible recycling vendors. Additionally, the company has donated funds to help translate the R2:2013 Standard, the R2 Guidance Document and R2 Code of Practices into Spanish and Portuguese, which will help in a broader effort to expand R2 certification in Central and South America.

 

The ADEQ is the first government agency to sign on to the program, SERI says. As part of its commitment to the R2 Leaders program, ADEQ will work with SERI to provide education to Arizona residents on the importance of responsibly managing used electronics, as well as resources on where they can find certified recyclers within the state.

 

The addition of the ADEQ and Lenovo bring the number of stakeholders participating in the R2 Leader program to 18. The full list includes ADEQ, Arrow Electronics, Blancco, DIRECTV, Goodwill Industries International, Greeneye Partners, JT Environmental Consulting, Keep America Beautiful, Lenovo, Microsoft, OneSource Freight, Oracle, Panasonic, Recycle Across America, Reverse Logistics Sustainability Council, Sony America, SourceAmerica, Wistron Corp. and Xerox. 

 

The R2 Standard, also managed by SERI, was created in 2008 through a multistakeholder process that included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, electronics manufacturers, recycling companies, nonprofit organizations and other groups. More than 490 electronics recycling facilities in 16 countries are currently certified to the R2:2013 version of the R2 Standard, which includes expanded record keeping, environmental health and safety and data security requirements, SERI says.