The president of eGreen IT Options, Karin Harris, argues that her firm ought to have been alerted after BAN decided it despatched a printer to an unapproved quick downstream processor. | KG Design/Shutterstock
Arizona-based eGreen IT Options was stripped of its e-Stewards certification after GPS trackers confirmed abroad printer shipments. The corporate says it didn’t “knowingly” break guidelines.
The e-scrap processor was discovered to have two crucial non-conformities and different violations of the e-Stewards requirements, resulting in the withdrawal of its certification.
The choice got here after the Basel Motion Community (BAN), which administers the e-Stewards Certification Program, investigated the corporate utilizing GPS trackers. A follow-up investigation revealed different violations of the requirements, in response to an evidentiary report.
Karin Harris, president of eGreen IT Options, advised E-Scrap Information that the corporate has been licensed with e-Stewards for 12 years and “we didn’t knowingly or deliberately violate the e-Stewards Customary.” She added that she feels the corporate is being “unfairly scapegoated” and that she has at all times promoted using trackers to make sure correct e-scrap disposal.
“We imagine that it is very important work along with business stakeholders and certification our bodies to make sure that accountable e-waste administration practices are being adopted,” she mentioned in an announcement. “We acknowledge that there have been points with our downstream supplier, and we remorse that these points resulted within the withdrawal of our e-Stewards Certification.”
Materials results in Southeast Asia
In 2021, BAN fitted two laptop printers with inside GPS trackers and delivered them to eGreen IT Options. The 2 printers went from eGreen in Phoenix to Olgin Efune Recycling Firm (OERC) in the identical metropolis, then to California places, earlier than one ended up within the Philippines and the opposite in Malaysia.
The report famous that eGreen spent 20 months making an attempt to approve OERC as a direct downstream processor however was delivery printers to them previous to approval, “and a minimum of by 7/4/22 knew OERC exported printers to Malaysia.”
The report additionally laid out information safety considerations.
BAN withdrew eGreen IT Options’ e-Stewards license for at least two years as of March 2, 2023. After March 2, 2025, the corporate can reapply for certification.
Harris mentioned she and her firm “stay dedicated to selling environmentally and socially accountable e-waste administration practices. We hope that we are able to work along with BAN and different business stakeholders to handle any considerations and proceed selling accountable e-waste administration practices.”
She added that she shall be sustaining eGreen’s ISO 14001 and NAID AAA certifications “and can proceed to work in direction of assembly the necessities of the e-Stewards Certification Program with out the ‘certificates.’”
Investigation particulars
Paperwork eGreen despatched BAN as a part of the investigation included requests on March 20, 2021, and July 4, 2021, so as to add OERC as a direct downstream supplier. The corporate additionally despatched outbound studies noting that 1,982 kilos of printers have been shipped on to OERC as early as June 10, 2021, and a minimum of by Dec. 13, 2021, regardless of the dearth of approval.
“Sixteen months after starting their IDP approval course of, eGreen nonetheless had not accepted OERC, however may see that printers have been being ‘shipped as is’ to Malaysia,” BAN’s evidentiary report acknowledged.
The second printer ended up in a Malaysian greenspace and was nonetheless signaling as of Might 2022, the report famous.
eGreen’s downstream disposition chart didn’t point out that any printers have been being transferred to OERC or exported out of the U.S., however quite listed OERC as the tip of the recycling chain for eGreen’s ferrous and non-ferrous supplies solely, the report states.
One other concern for BAN is information safety, as a result of OERC acknowledged in its eGreen Downstream Supplier Questionnaire that they shipped printers “as is” to Port Klang West in Malaysia and eGreen didn’t present proof to BAN that it sanitized information or ensured that OERC sanitized information.
BAN mentioned the contract with OERC was additionally “wholly insufficient” and gave the impression to be primarily based on an outdated model of the e-Stewards Customary. A late February 2022 formal audit had flagged a non-conformity for downstream due diligence, stating that preliminary due diligence and subsequent annual desk audits couldn’t be positioned for 9 downstream suppliers, however that subject was finally closed out with a plan.
The report famous that eGreen was given a number of alternatives to offer countering proof and explanations.
Harris mentioned she didn’t intend for the printers to be despatched to OERC previous to their approval as a direct downstream supplier and it was an inside misunderstanding. She added that she feels BAN was extra targeted on scapegoating and publicly shaming eGreen than working to repair the issue.
“Whereas we perceive the considerations raised by BAN concerning the export of our supplies to unapproved Fast Downstream Suppliers and in the end to places exterior of the USA, we imagine that our firm is being unfairly scapegoated on this scenario,” she mentioned.
She mentioned she would have preferred for BAN to alert her after the primary printer was tracked to an unapproved location so she may have prevented the second printer from additionally being shipped abroad.
“We have been alerted by the certifying physique of this when remedying the scenario was too late of an possibility,” Harris mentioned. “We imagine this matter may’ve been dealt with extra professionally, not solely by our events concerned but in addition with the certifying physique who labored extra to publicly castigate than to empower a decade-long e-Stewards companion.”
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