Washington DC, USA -
SERI, a global leader in Electronics Sustainability and the non-profit organization behind the R2 Sustainable Electronics Reuse and Recycling Standard and Certification program, today announces that it is moving forward to build and launch a pilot program for the initiative called R2U, a vocational training program designed to increase the knowledge and skills of individuals working in the electronics reuse and recycling sector globally.
“In many parts of the world, including parts of the United States and Europe, there simply aren’t enough qualified vendors to meet the demand for responsible electronics reuse and recycling,” said SERI’s Executive Director Corey Dehmey. “In some areas, an informal sector of entrepreneurs has flourished to meet this demand, but too often, those working in the field don’t have the necessary information to properly protect workers, prevent pollution, and reliably erase user data. We’re leveraging the knowledge built in the R2 Standard to offer a series of courses designed specifically to bring what we know are best practices directly to those who are handling these devices.”
R2U is a new SERI Program that dissects the best practices in the R2 Standard into a series of on-demand courses designed for individuals who are interested in building their own knowledge about responsible and sustainable electronics reuse and recycling practices. These courses will be delivered through an online platform and are anticipated to be free of charge to take.
The pilot program will include an initial five courses, ranging in topics, and the feedback from the pilot will be incorporated as additional courses are rolled out. SERI hopes to build 40+ courses in total within the R2U program.
In keeping with the multi-stakeholder approach of the R2 Standard, SERI welcomes individuals and organizations who are interested in lending their time and expertise to contribute knowledge, content, photos, videos and more to develop the courses.
“We love electronics, but right now, our global reuse and recycling capacity cannot keep up with the increasing appetite for new devices,” continued Dehmey. “And to make electronics sustainable, the world needs more local options to handle our old devices. No one individual or group is going to solve the e-waste challenge alone…we’ve got to do it together. R2U offers a powerful way of training future electronics refurbishers and recyclers, and we are very excited for the potential of R2U as another way to build a more circular and sustainable world of technology.”
For more information about SERI’s R2U Program, or to follow our progress, get involved in the course development process, or support R2, please visit https://sustainableelectronics.org/join-the-mission-r2u/
About SERI
SERI is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States with a mission to help create a world where all electronics are sustainable. Best known for the R2 Sustainable Electronics Reuse and Recycling Standard, SERI engages all stakeholders through a range of programs focused on protecting people, the planet, and our natural resources and ensuring everyone everywhere has access to responsible electronics reuse and recycling.
www.sustainableelectronics.org
Contact Jeff Seibert for more information at marketing@sustainableelectronics.org
