The electronics recycling / IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) industry has a colorful past.  Even the most seemingly trustworthy companies may in fact be handling and processing material illegally.  One high-profile example is the case of Executive Recycling who was performing ITAD services for the City of Denver and a number of large commercial entities.  In 2011, the company was indicted on 13 criminal counts for misrepresenting how its electronics “recycling” services were being performed.  Ultimately, the two principal executives were issued fines and received jail sentences.  Many of their customer names were listed in the indictment.

The good news is that the ITAD industry recognized the problem several years ago and responded with a number of third-party environmental certifications such as e-Stewards and R2/RIOS.  On the data destruction front, the National Association for Information Destruction (“NAID”) has developed certifications for both data sanitization and physical destruction.

Despite the establishment of these independent third-party certification standards, there still exist companies who attempt to misrepresent their activities and credentials.  Often they do this by displaying a number of impressive logos on their website.

The following is an example taken from a web site on the Internet:

However, none of these images   really mean anything representing the legitimacy of how the material would be handled.  They are not backed by certifications that provide any assurance that these firms handle material according to independently-audited environmental or data privacy standards

So what do the logos displayed above actually mean?

Perry Johnson Registrars (“PJR”)

PJR is an auditing firm that provides third-party auditing services for standards such as e-Stewards, ISO, RIOS, and R2.  When a company wants to become certified to one of these standards, they must engage a firm like PJR and undergo a lengthy review process in order to prove to the auditors (PJR) that the firm complies with a standard.  But without reference to an actual certification, an auditing firm logo is meaningless. To check whether a company has actually been certified, consult the list of certified recyclers at www.e-stewards.org.  Similarly, a list of R2-certified companies can be found at:www.r2solutions.org.

ANAB Accredited

In the United States, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board is the organization that that certifies: both 1) the various certification standards, and 2) the firms that are capable of auditing those standards.

As an example, ANAB audits the sponsors of a certification program (i.e. e-Stewards/BAN) in order to confirm that their “e-Stewards” certification is a management system that can be audited. In addition, ANAB audits third-party firms such as Perry Johnson in order to assure that they are competent to audit companies who wish to obtain and maintain certifications such as “e-Stewards” or ISO 14001.  In essence, ANAB audits the auditors.

The “ANAB accredited” logo belongs on a certificate issued by an auditing firm or on an auditing firm’s web site.  Since ANAB does not certify or audit ITAD or recycling companies themselves, the ANAB logo really has no relevance on their website.

UKAS

In the UK, UKAS is the official certifying body recognized by the British government to assess the competence of organizations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.   Again, this organization is only relevant to those firms who perform audits – not service providers who offer electronics recycling/ITAD services.  It is similar to ANAB.

NAID Member

NAID is the international trade association for the data destruction industry.  A member logo indicates membership in the trade organization – not certification.  NAID offers various certifications for a variety of services including mobile/onsite destruction, physical destruction and data sanitization.  Firms that successfully undergo a third-party audit to the NAID standards can become AAA Certified.  A list of NAID certified companies is available at:   www.naidonline.org

Other Logos You Might See

“Fill-in-the-Blank Member”

Generally, “member” status in any organization – a state or local recycling association, an environmental coalition, a chamber of commerce, etc. simply means that the company has paid dues and is a part of that association.  No audit or commitments are required to be a member.

EPA

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not certify any company.  A company in the recycling business is required to register with the EPA.  However, the EPA does not review or audit the operation. 

DoD or NIST

These are references to standards, which an organization can elect to follow and try to meet.  However, no US Government organization audits or certifies companies to these standards.  Third part certifications, such as NAID AAA, do include these standards as part of their requirements.

The Bottom Line – Be Wary of Logos Without Certifications

If you are contemplating doing business with a firm that displays many logos on its website but no certifications, you shouldconsider this a red flag.  Always look for objective evidence that the firms you do business with have in fact been CERTIFIED to industry standards for the services being performed.

To learn more about compliance and certifications, download our free whitepaper – Guide to Compliance in IT Asset Disposition: