Washington DC, USA – June 23, 2022

 

In keeping with SERI’s vision of a world where all electronics are reused and recycled safely and sustainably, SERI and the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), India have signed an agreement for NABCB to begin the process of accrediting R2 Certification Bodies. This is a key step to building a local auditing base to certify facilities to the R2 Standard in India and other parts of Asia and The Middle East.

Especially within India, the challenge has been that those facilities wishing to certify to R2 were faced with the additional expenses of working with Certification Bodies and auditors outside of the country. NABCB will now be available to assess and accredit Certification Bodies in India and nearby regions to meet the R2 Code of Practices, the rules for auditing and conferring R2 Certifications to collectors, refurbishers, recyclers, and other facilities. As Certification Bodies become accredited to the R2 Standard under NABCB accreditation, they will be able to offer certification in India at rates more consistent with the local market.

SERI’s Executive Director, Mr. Corey Dehmey, remarked “Unfortunately, up to now without a local auditing structure, SERI has seen a disproportionate cost for facilities in India to become R2 Certified. We have been working to build a better certification infrastructure in India and this new relationship with NABCB is an important first step toward providing a more affordable path to R2 Certification for facilities. We are excited to work with NABCB in building that local infrastructure in India.”

NABCB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rajesh Maheshwari, stated that “NABCB accreditation to certification bodies for SERI’s R2 Standard is another important step towards facilitating certification to international standards / schemes for the benefit of industry and other stakeholders in India.” NABCB also intends to work closely with SERI for capacity building and sensitization of various stakeholders of the R2 Standard.

NABCB currently has 15 Certification Bodies accredited for Environmental Management System certifications, and 11 accredited for Occupational Health and Safety Management System certifications. The R2 standard requires Environmental and Health and Safety Management System certification(s) as the basis for implementing the requirements of R2. Adding accreditation for R2 Certification fits with the existing standards that these certification bodies offer and is a natural fit for a streamlined and integrated audit process.

SERI has been increasing its efforts to help India implement steps to reach circularity goals. “India presents a tremendous opportunity to move electronics toward sustainability, simply due to the combination of a large number of electronics in the country, and a lack of a large, formalized reuse and recycling infrastructure to deal with all those devices,” said Dehmey.

Look for more information on SERI’s work in India, coming soon…

 

About SERI

SERI is a global non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States with a mission to help create a world where electronic products are reused and recycled in a way that promotes resource preservation, the well-being of the natural environment, and the health and safety of workers and communities. SERI has numerous programs working to protect the planet and enrich lives by championing sustainable actions throughout the entire electronics lifecycle including the R2 Standard for responsible electronics reuse and recycling, the Electronics Sustainability Alliance, and R2 Leaders.

About NABCB

NABCB is one of the constituent Boards of the Quality Council of India (QCI), a not-for-profit, autonomous organization established by the Government of India in year 1997, together with three premier Indian Industry Associations, to provide accreditation and to promote quality across industry sectors in India. QCI is currently under the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. NABCB, as the National Accreditation Body, provides accreditation to Certification, Inspection, and Validation & Verification Bodies based on assessment of their competence as per the Board’s criteria and in accordance with International Standards and Guidelines. NABCB is internationally recognized and is a signatory to numerous Multilateral/Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MLA/MRA), including those of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

For more information, contact:  Jeff Seibert (SERI)  jeff@sustainableelectronics.org

 

###