BAN Wants to Spin Off e-Stewards Program to Independent Contractor
The Basel Action Network said it wants to hire an independent contractor to run the e-Stewards certification program. BAN is seeking proposals by July 15 and will pick a winner by Sept. 1 so the program can get its independent launch by Nov. 1, it said.
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BAN calls e-Stewards the only certification program that prevents the export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries. It estimates at least half the companies in North America that call themselves e-waste recyclers actually ship the old CRTs they collect overseas. Independents submitting proposals to run the program may be public or private companies, for-profit or not-for-profit organizations, or non-governmental organizations, BAN said.
BAN will keep possession of the e-Stewards intellectual property and the branding, but will license the name and the activity to an independent body, it said, without disclosing license terms. “When complete, the spin-off will increase the e-Stewards program’s independence and allow BAN to return its focus to its core mission of educating and advocating to prevent toxic trade and promote a toxic free future for all,” it said. “It will also allow BAN to pursue new reforms, continue to promote its current initiatives, and advance global trade policy."
Currently, there are 106 facilities in four countries that have landed e-Stewards certifications or “are in the process” of being certified, BAN said. “There remains a crying need to provide customers for electronics recyclers with assurances that their old TV, computer or cell phone will in fact be recycled properly here at home and not simply be dumped in the rice paddies in China or be burned by children in Ghana,” said Jim Puckett, BAN’s executive director. “We have launched a program to identify and certify the good guys. We will now turn our attention to ensuring that every U.S. consumer and company demands that their e-waste is only handled by the recycling industry’s great leaders and not the great pretenders.”