The Scoop on Scope: What you need to know about scope for your R2 certification

With R2v3 you have likely heard a lot about the scope of certification, and that is not just because the standard leads with the scope details under Core Requirement 1.  Put very simply, scope is a critical factor for determining and defining what is and is not covered under an R2 Facility’s certification. Of course, R2v3 includes a detailed definition of scope, but generally, it can be thought of as what the R2 Certification covers in terms of the electronics reuse and recycling activities performed by the facility, as well as the electronic equipment and materials managed. We often hear of scope referred to as the extent of certification, which is fitting because not all certifications are the same. This means that each R2 Facility will have a scope specifically developed as applicable to its operations.

Still, scope plays an important role long before a facility even gets certified. Since R2v3 is divided into a set of Core Requirements, that apply to all facilities, and the Process Requirements that only apply for facilities that perform those operations, understanding the applicability of each Process Requirement is the first step in defining a facility’s scope.

There are some resources available in the R2 Knowledge Base that can help a facility better understand the Process Requirements and identify which must be included in its scope. First is the Appendix Applicability Guidance that provides a brief description of each Process Requirement appendix, along with some descriptions and examples of applications where the appendix does and does not apply. The second resource is the Appendix Determination Tool, which similarly aids a facility in determining where the each appendix applies based on different common processing options.

Generally, the R2v3 Process Requirements apply as follows:

Appendix A – Downstream Recycling Chain
For facilities that are not the final point of disposition and require a network of downstream vendors to perform further R2 processing. This applies to most facilities.

Appendix B – Data Sanitization
For facilities with additional data security controls and that perform an enhanced level of physical and/or logical data sanitization and tracking. This applies to any facility performing logical data sanitization, but not every facility performing physical sanitization.

Appendix C – Test and Repair
For facilities that test, repair and refurbish electronics to produce functional devices.

Appendix D – Specialty Electronics Reuse
For facilities that manage highly sophisticated equipment like medical, laboratory, and commercial telecom for reuse that are not capable of full testing.

Appendix E – Materials Recovery
For facilities that perform materials recovery operations, often through a variety of manual or mechanical destructive dismantling and separation processes.

Appendix F – Brokering
For facilities that source used electronic equipment or materials remotely and manage the delivery of those items to DSVs for further processing and/or recovery. This can apply as an additional service to the other appendices that a facility provides, or it could be the only service of a company that specializes in B2B trading.

One key point to consider when assessing the applicability of each Process Requirement appendix is that the scope doesn’t just include the processes performed at the facility. More broadly, the scope includes all the R2-related activities controlled by the facility. That means that the scope may include off-site activities and locations, such as warehouses and collection points. The scope may even include services provided off-site, such as data sanitization activities performed at a customer’s facility.

In addition to defining the R2 activities performed by a facility, the second aspect of the scope is to identify the applicable types of electronic equipment, components, and materials managed. In some cases, a facility may be certified to manage a very limited stream of equipment or materials, such as mobile phones for test and repair, or circuit boards for materials recovery. In other cases, facilities may be equipped to process a wider range of devices and their certification could broadly include any electronic equipment as opposed to limited streams of equipment or devices. Either way, with a scope reflective of the equipment and materials that a facility manages, suppliers can easily identify which devices are and are not handled by an R2 Facility.

Of course, there are some things that the scope does not cover. This includes any activities that are outsourced to downstream vendors, which would instead be covered under the DSV’s scope. The scope also does not include planned or future activities. So, if a facility plans to add a new process, or start managing a new stream of devices, it would need to develop and ensure that all processes and R2 controls related to managing those devices are in place first, so that the Certification Body can verify conformance with the R2 requirements before those activities can be added to the scope. This is why it is important when planning any changes to operations, to notify the Certification Body prior to making the changes, and work closely with them to determine the best steps and timing for auditing the new processes.

There are more details on scope and how it is defined in section 11.01 of the R2v3 Code of Practices. And note that the final wording of the scope is always determined by the CB following the audit, depending on the activities verified.

Overall, it is important to remember that the scope provides a couple of valuable functions under R2v3. Prior to certification, the scope helps a facility determine the R2v3 Process Requirements that apply to its operations and must be included in its scope of certification. And, after certification, the scope clearly identifies the specific operations that each R2 Facility is certified for. This enables R2 Facilities to demonstrate the specialized skills and processes they maintain which is an important aspect for communicating to customers the specific services provided by the facility.