“R2″ Is Not The Answer
Responsible Recycling
The R2 Recycling Standards
And Why the Electronics TakeBack Coalition Does Not Support R2
What are the R2 recycling standards?
The strongest standard for recyclers is the e-Steward standard. There is, however, another voluntary standard for recyclers of electronic waste, called “R2.” R2 stands for “responsible recycling.” Unfortunately, it falls well short of “responsible”, when it comes to the toxic materials. In fact, the standard is so weak in key areas that the only two participating environmental groups (the Basel Action Network and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition) both withdrew in protest from the multi-stakeholder process in the final stages. This is the standard supported by the recycling industry association.
What’s Wrong with R2?
R2 fails to adequately address the four biggest problems in the electronics recycling industry:
- Export: the global dumping of e-waste
- Prison recycling
- Incineration of e-waste
- Worker protections for recycling workers
But because R2 claims that it deals with most of these issues, it fools customers into thinking that recyclers who follow R2 will be responsible recyclers. While some claim that R2 is the Gold Standard for recyclers, it’s really more like the Lead Standard. It’s the standard supported by the recycling industry association.
Fact Sheets:
Comparison of R2 and e-Stewards Standards
Detailed Analysis of R2 (Way more than you ever wanted to know about R2)
Why do we need recycling standards?
Electronics recycling is an industry plagued with low-road practices, including dumping toxic e-waste in developing nations, sending it to unsafe prison recycling shops, incineration of e-waste, or warehousing and abandoning electronics here in the US. But it’s very hard for customers to know whether a recycler is using these practices. There is broad support for the concept of creating a set of high standards in this industry, and asking recyclers to get certified to these standards by independent, trained auditors, so customers can tell the difference between high road and low road recyclers.
e-Stewards Recycling Standard
Because the R2 process resulted in very low standards, the Basel Action Network (BAN) spearheaded an effort to develop a high-bar standard for the recycling industry. This new e-Steward standard is now the highest standard in the industry. Read more about e-Stewards.
