BusinessWeek Exposes the e-Cycling Integrity Gap

I am happy to report that times have changed. When we started Redemtech 10 years ago, many corporate clients questioned the need for responsible electronics recycling. It was common practice in 1998 to use the dumpster for asset disposition, and exporting ewaste to developing countries was perfectly acceptable: not anymore. Most companies now demand responsible management of their surplus electronics, and a few service providers like Redemtech have invested tens of millions to deliver truly accountable results. As BusinessWeek discovered, we are the exception.

Ben Elgin and Brian Grow focused on the example of one recycler in their article E-Waste: The Dirty Secret of Recycling Electronics, and expose a fundamental, industry-wide integrity gap. Most companies in my business say one thing and do another. Customers demanding responsible recycling lack the auditing capabilities and rarely invest in the governance necessary to ensure their requirements are met. MIT conducts research for the electronics recycling industry, and confirms in BusinessWeek that they routinely receive "a certificate of proper destruction" from Supreme. I hope that Norman Magnuson, Director of Operations for MIT facilities, is in someone's office this morning explaining how he will prove the responsible disposition of the university's electronics going forward.

Accountability in e-waste recycling requires a transparent process and management by the numbers - not phony certificates of destruction. Responsible recyclers will account for every serial number of every electronic device received, and every pound of material recovered from the recycling process. They will open their books, and welcome examination of their downstream relationships. Redemtech stopped doing business with Supreme years ago when they refused such transparency.

So it's progress that enterprise customers now require responsible recycling. It's time for corporate management to start measuring and managing the implementation of their policies, and holding their vendors truly accountable.