R2:2013... Do I need it?

If you're in the refurbishment industry for electronics, you probably have heard of R2 certification, or may be experiencing pressure to get certified from other vendors or customers.  You may have been putting it off, overwhelmed by all the requirements the R2:2013 standard seems to be throwing at your company.   Confused by why there are so many different topics ranging from legal review to data security when it's supposed to be an "environmental" certification?  Are you wondering if you can avoid getting certified and it'll go away?

Let's break down this certification a bit and shed some light on these requirements.  

• Why so many topics?

There are some basic "environmental" requirements involved with this certification, but if you've ever taken a look at the R2 Standard (https://sustainableelectronics.org/) it covers everything from insurance requirements to whether you're complying with import/export laws.   The idea is that part of responsibly recycling electronics involves clearly de-lineating whether something is "junk" (requires disposal) or is valuable product (that is presumably high quality).  As a result, much of the standard scrutinizes your operating procedures to ensure your product is taken care of, and your "junk" is secure from data breaches and isn't getting shipped and offloaded illegally or will end up in a landfill somewhere because your company wasn't responsible.  This brings us to the second question...

• Why are my customers and vendors pressuring me to get certified?

The R2 Standard also has another critical requirement which involves tracking "downstream" vendors.  If you're receiving pressure from customers and "upstream" vendors, they are probably looking for reputable businesses to give their used electronics to.  The R2 Standard also requires any companies that are R2 certified to only do business with other downstream vendors who are also R2 certified or face extra scrutiny and paperwork.  So much so, that many companies will simply opt to only use R2-certified vendors to keep things simple.  So you see, R2 certification can be critical in ensuring you don't lose business and in ensuring you're seen as a reputable vendor.  

This covers just the tip of the iceberg, so be sure to contact Sundowner at [email protected] if you'd like to use your free one-hour consultation to learn more.