More companies are making the effort to “go green” and are responsibly recycling their used and outdated electronic devices. However with the hazardous chemicals and confidential data contained inside of these devices, recycling e-Waste is more involved than taking your used mobile phones and tablets to a recycling center or trading them to reseller companies online.

Now more than ever, it is essential for businesses to partner with a credible electronics recycler and ensure that their mobile phones and tablets, as well as the sensitive data stored inside, are recycled properly. Companies need to research their current asset recovery companies and their processes. Partnering with the wrong electronics recycler can be extremely hazardous not only for the environment but also for the business.

Many organizations may think that they are acting responsibly when recycling with an electronic buyback company when in fact, their mobile devices could be causing severe damage to the environment. The EPA reports that 70-80% of “reputable” recyclers are sending e-Waste to remote villages in developing countries where the use of cheap and sometimes slave labor is used to reclaim the precious metals inside electronic devices.

The developing countries overseas are being destroyed by the overwhelming amount of e-Waste shipped from electronics recyclers in the United States. Once the e-Waste is dumped in these countries, migrant workers use primitive technologies such as open air burning or acid baths to remove the precious metals. Not only do the extraction methods cause substantial harm to the environment, the inhalation of the toxic fumes emitted can cause significant health problems and even death for the local men, women and children in these regions.

In addition to the impact e-Waste has on developing nations, the improper handling of electronic devices also poses a threat to the confidential business information stored on these devices. Many enterprises rely on corporate-liable smartphones and tablets for their day-to-day business and consequently mobile devices contain an abundance of private data. For these reasons, businesses must investigate their mobile recycling partners and trust that they will provide the utmost data security and deletion processes.

The Basel Action Network, a global organization dedicated to ending toxic trade and electronic dumping overseas, developed the e-Stewards Certification in an effort to eliminate these growing issues.

e-Stewards, a leading international program, allows businesses that dispose of their old electronic equipment to easily identify recycling companies that adhere to the highest standards of environmental responsibility, data security and employee protection. An e-Stewards Certification requires a recycler to meet rigorous environmental, mobile data deletion and health and safety requirements. This strictly regulated program requires yearly audits to ensure that the high e-Stewards standards are continuously being met.

Earlier this year, e-Cycle LLC became the first mobile phone buyback and recycling company in the world to become e-Stewards Certified. Ranked the #68 Most Promising Company in America by Forbes and the #5 fastest growing environmental services company in the U.S. by Inc., e-Cycle helps organizations take a more responsible, secure and profitable approach to wireless recycling. e-Cycle purchases used mobile phones and tablets that still retain value and recycles all others at no charge through an EPA-registered facility. The data on every reusable phone undergoes a rigorous, multi-step data deletion and auditing process to permanently remove confidential information. The e-Stewards Certification guarantees their clients’ security by removing all data from every device, providing financial compensation for devices that holds resale value and ensuring devices that no longer holding any value are recycled or disposed of in ways that protect the environment. For more information visit www.e-Cycle.com.

Businesses need to be aware of the data security and recycling practices their asset recovery partners utilize. Using e-Stewards Certified recyclers is the only way to ensure your organization is protecting not only their sensitive company information but also the environment.

The Basel Action Network (www.BAN.org), a global toxic trade watchdog organization, announced today that Columbus based mobile phone recycling company e-Cycle LLC is the first mobile phone buyback and recycling company certified as an e-Stewards® recycler, adhering to the highest global standards for socially and environmentally responsible electronics recycling.

Created by the Basel Action Network (BAN), the e-Stewards® certification program is the only electronics recycler certification program that prohibits the export of hazardous waste to developing countries, requires a certified ISO 14001 environmental management system, includes industry-specific worker health and safety requirements, bans the use of prison labor in handling of sensitive data, and can be used internationally. The certification was written by the environmental community and leaders in the industry to protect human health and the global environment.

“In the absence of leadership or laws requiring responsible electronics recycling here in the United States, we felt it was necessary to create a program to help people find a responsible recycler,” said Jim Puckett, BAN’s Executive Director.  “e-Cycle has undergone a rigorous independent audit process to ensure they are upholding the highest standards for wireless recycling and worker safety. Businesses and organizations throughout the world can be confident that e-Cycle will recycle and reuse their used mobile devices responsibly.”

An award-winning 60 Minutes expose entitled “The Electronic Wasteland”, that aired in late 2008 and again in June of 2011, left viewers , business leaders, and government officials wondering if their best intentions to recycle hazardous electronic products had gone awry.  The piece featured a seemingly responsible recycling company collecting e-waste from Denver residents and surreptitiously shipping it to poor countries where it was being dumped and burned. BAN was an integral part of the investigation.

“e-Cycle was founded on three guiding principals—a love for the environment, technology and charitable giving,” said e-Cycle Founder and CEO Christopher Irion. “Achieving our e-Stewards and R2 Certifications not only improves e-Cycle’s processes and differentiates us from other mobile recycling companies, it reinforces the essence of e-Cycle’s core brand image among the most ethical and trustworthy wireless recycling companies in the world. Through the guidance of the e-Stewards Standard, we will continually improve our business model and processes.”

About e-Cycle LLC
Ranked the #68 Most Promising Company in America by Forbes and the #5 fastest growing environmental services company in the U.S. by Inc., e-Cycle helps organizations take a more responsible, secure and profitable approach to wireless mobile phone recycling. e-Cycle purchases used mobile phones and pads that still retain value and recycles all others at no charge through an EPA-registered facility. The data on every reusable phone undergoes a rigorous, multi-step data deletion and auditing process to permanently remove confidential information. e-Cycle is e-Stewards Certified, which includes ISO 14001, and R2 certified. View the e-Cycle Process Video.

About e-Stewards® Certification
The e-Stewards Certification program, created by the Basel Action Network (BAN), formally recognizes electronics recyclers that adhere to environmentally and socially responsible practices when recovering hazardous electronic materials. It is the first such program backed by environmental organizations and major corporations alike. The accredited third-party audited certification program is supported by the USEPA and is endorsed by Greenpeace USA, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Electronics TakeBack Coalition and 68 other environmental organizations.  It has also drawn the public support of major corporate “e-Stewards Enterprises” including Alcoa, LG Electronics, Bank of America, Capital One Financial Corp. and Wells Fargo.