Japanese recyclers tour Schupan plant

Pictured above, from left: Toshio Hoshikawa, Makato Harit, Shupan CEO Marc Schupan, Eiji Hosoda, So Kato and Perry Johnson's Scott Jones

A delegation of four Japanese environmental and recycling executives visited the recycling company Schupan & Sons Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan, as part of an American tour arranged by Perry Johnson Registrars, an international company that certifies Schupan Electronics Recycling to the Responsible Recycling (R2) Standard.

Schupan & Sons was one of five American companies selected to tour because of its wide range of recycling activities and for its certification to the R2 Standard, which is being considered as a mandatory international regulation in Japan.

The Japanese delegation included Eiji Hosada, professor of environmental economics and a member of the Central Environmental Council of Japan; So Kato, chairperson of the Glass Recycling Committee of Japan; Makato Harita, president of Harita Metal Co., a large, family-owned recycler; and Toshio Hoshikawa, chairman of ARMEC, a processor of industrial and domestic waste and iron scrap.

The R2 Standard sets requirements relating to environmental, health, safety and the security aspects of electronics recycling, requiring e-recyclers to ensure that hazardous electronic material is managed safely and responsibly by downstream vendors.

Schupan Electronics Recycling obtained its R2 certification in 2014 as a step toward making it a safe, environmentally conscious and secure electronics recycler.