More companies are making the effort to “go green” and are responsibly recycling their used and outdated electronic devices.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.

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