Industry Announcements
E-Scrap News highlights the latest announcements from industry companies and organizations. For information on submitting press releases or contributing op-eds to us, review our FAQ page.
E-Scrap News highlights the latest announcements from industry companies and organizations. For information on submitting press releases or contributing op-eds to us, review our FAQ page.
The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) appointed Helmut Kolba of e-scrap processor Remondis Electrorecycling as chairman of BIR’s E-Scrap Committee.
Call2Recycle announced Leo Raudys will be the organization’s next CEO and president, effective Jan. 1.
Gannon & Scott was recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Labor as one of 675 recipients of the 2020 HIRE Vets Medallion Award.
Ingram Micro opened an ITAD facility in Mexico City, the 21st processing center in the company’s global network.
Secondary device logistics firm PCS Wireless launched TessaB, a technology company building a blockchain-based marketplace for used phones.
Sage Sustainable Electronics announced it has redirected more than $1 million in certified refurbished electronics to nonprofits and other groups through its GoodTogether program.
Freight forwarder Sealink International added new features for metals recycling companies to its online platform.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) released “Fixed for the Holidays,” a guide to buying refurbished electronics as gifts.
Processor Echo Environmental was named one of the Top 100 Places to Work in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area by the Dallas Morning News.
Reverse logistics company Hyla Mobile released data on its third-quarter device trade-in activity, listing figures on used Apple Watch values for the first time.
Battery recycling firm Li-Cycle Corp. closed a round of equity funding to finance its upcoming Rochester, N.Y. recycling facility.
Device manufacturer Logitech published its 2020 sustainability report, which includes details on its e-scrap recycling program participation.
Used device retailer reBuy published the results of a study it commissioned about scrap mobile device generation and markets in 27 countries.
Sims Lifecycle Services announced it has joined the Dutch Data Center Association.
ITAD firm Wisetek appointed Bob Truelove as vice president of sales, a position covering the company’s U.S. sales operations.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) awarded $97,500 in grant funds to Technology Recyclers for an e-scrap recycling education campaign.
Sims Limited, parent company to Sims Lifecycle Services, announced a series of sustainability goals.
Sunnking announced that Fred Parody, who previously worked at Sims Lifecycle Services and URT, has joined Sunnking’s sales division as its newest ITAD account manager.
Unistar Technologies published a release discussing how the pandemic is impacting technology use in the corporate IT sector.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will add solar panels to its universal waste program, aiming to increase recycling of the materials.
Elanders, an ITAD firm serving clients in Europe and Asia, acquired Swedish IT asset management company Azalea Global IT AB.
The Green Electronics Council and TÜV Rheinland released for public comment draft criteria for environmentally friendly network equipment certification.
Interseroh launched a battery collection and logistics service in Europe, aiming to help manufacturers meet producer-responsibility requirements.
Philips Professional Display Services is offering a free software upgrade for some of its hospitality-sector TVs, aiming to help hotels extend the lifetime of the devices.
Processor R2 Recycling launched a new website.
Sunnking reopened registration for its annual e-Scrap for Camp fundraiser, which had been put on a four-month pause due to COVID-19.
Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) released a final transition plan for migrating all R2-certified facilities over to the updated R2v3 standard by July 1, 2023. SERI also announced it is looking for new members to fill positions on its Consensus Body and its R2 Technical Advisory Committee.
The Electronics Reuse & Recycling Alliance (TERRA) announced that The Vested Group will serve as the organization’s exclusive enterprise resource planning (ERP) sponsor.
VTech and LeapFrog, companies that design electronic learning devices and toys, launched a recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle.
Apple increased the cost of screen repairs for the base model iPhone 12 compared with the previous generation of the smartphone.
The Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER) praised a report by the U.S. House of Representatives China Task Force, noting its focus on supply chain issues impacting national security. CAER is a proponent of legislation increasing regulation on e-scrap exports.
HP expanded its Planet Partners printing supplies return and recycling program to 68 countries.
The board of directors for information security association i-SIGMA appointed Bowman Richards as chairman of the organization’s complaint resolution council.
PCB processor Itronics announced it has successfully recovered manganese from single-use alkaline batteries, among other sources.
Sunnking postponed an e-scrap collection event after four company employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Global e-scrap and ITAD firm TES acquired the assets of Custom Controllers UK, a repair firm servicing gaming controllers. TES also released its annual sustainability report, indicating that the company processed 154 million pounds of electronics in 2019.
Waste Management handled 18.2 million pounds of e-scrap and lamps in 2019, according to its most recent sustainability report.
Bob Akers, an industry veteran who was most recently the e-Stewards Enterprise director, has joined The Electronics Reuse & Recycling Alliance (TERRA) as its chief industry advisor.
Magnetic separation equipment company Industrial Magnetics, Inc. (IMI) has completed the equipment installation phase of its new recycling test facility in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) named Lexmark as the 2020 Design for Recycling Award winner.
IT Asset Management Group (ITAMG) launched ITAMG Cares, a nonprofit organization focused on bridging the digital divide by distributing used computers from large businesses to students in need, primarily in the New York City area.
Machinex will hold a virtual open house to celebrate 50 years in business.
Stena Recycling and Electrolux developed a vacuum cleaner made from 100% recycled and reused materials, including e-plastics.
Waste Reduction Week in Canada took place this week, and Wednesday was focused on e-scrap recycling awareness. As part of the week, the Electronic Products Recycling Association of Québec (EPRA-Québec) worked to raise awareness in the province of over 8.5 million people.
Apple this week released a new 5G-enabled iPhone, which is predicted to garner record sales and could lead to a higher volume of used devices entering the end-of-life stream.
U.K.-based IT service provider Pure Technology Group and processor S2S Group launched an ITAD service called zeroC.
Sims Lifecycle Services published its annual report, covering the company’s 2020 fiscal year financials and other significant company developments.
Data Security Inc. Director of Operations Renee Schafer was accepted into the Forbes Business Council.
Geomega Resources received financing of $1.3 million, which will go toward building a rare earth magnet recycling pilot plant in Quebec.
Sims Lifecycle Services announced it is participating in the upcoming Accelerating the Circular Economy virtual event, which will be hosted by Companies for Zero Waste.
Equipment supplier SSI Shredding Systems updated its line of PRI-MAX primary reducer shredders.
The Electronics Reuse & Recycling Alliance (TERRA) is partnering with the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC to provide their fans access to mail-in device recycling through TERRA’s Done with IT program.
The WEEE Forum published a paper discussing problems associated with collecting and handling e-scrap together with other types of scrap metal.
The U.K. Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee accused Apple of avoiding questions related to device repairability.
The Green Electronics Council (GEC) is preparing to launch a “photovoltaic modules and inverters” category for the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) registry, which serves as a guide for environmentally friendly electronics purchasing.
Nintendo faces a lawsuit in France alleging planned obsolescence.
Proses Makina, a Turkish company involved in electronic recycling, wrote about its use of pyrolysis to process e-plastics.
Grand Rapids, Mich. processor Comprenew added vehicles to its fleet and expanded its e-scrap pickup service to cover the entire state.
ERI announced that Andrew Nunan, senior operations manager at ERI’s Plainfield, Ind. facility, was appointed to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Recycling Market Development Board.
R3eWaste, an e-scrap processor based in Phoenix, opened a 10,000-square-foot Austin, Texas processing facility.
Redwood Materials, a lithium-ion battery recycling startup, received investment funds from Amazon. The company processes batteries from consumer electronics and other sources.
Teleplan and Clover Wireless, which last year merged through an acquisition, rebranded with a name change to “Reconext.”
Wisetek launched IT Asset Recovery Solutions, an ITAD service the company describes as a “direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Eriez added suspended permanent magnets to its Quick Ship Program, which expedites delivery service for some of the company’s most popular products.
Equipment supplier Tomra published an ebook detailing the benefits of using cloud-based data.
WEEE Forum announced that the third International E-Waste Day will be held on Oct. 14, aiming to promote proper disposal of electronics throughout the world.
U.K.-based Coventry University researchers are exploring an e-scrap process they call “bioleaching,” which involves extracting metals using a bacteria.
New Zealand startup Mint Innovation plans to open an e-scrap processing facility in the U.K., using a “bio-refining” process that combines hydrometallurgy and biotechnology.
The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) announced new participants in its State Electronics Challenge.
Michigan processor Schupan & Sons has added Wenceslao (Lao) Manzano Hernandez as a trader within the company’s materials trading division. He will be based in Japan.
Orlando, Fla. processor Southeastern Data was awarded a contract to provide e-scrap and ITAD services for Orange County, Fla.
Equipment supplier Stadler acquired a majority stake in weeeSwiss Technology AG, which designs, constructs and operates electronics recycling systems.
Data destruction firm Stellar released BitRaser, a software tool that provides data erasure and diagnostic services for a variety of storage devices.
Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) announced that the R2v3 standard has received designation as an Approved National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Apple is reportedly making cost-saving battery-related design changes to the iPhone 12, iPhone 12S and AirPods 3 devices.
E-Cycle Wisconsin, that state’s e-scrap program, announced that it recycled 325 million pounds of electronics during its first 10 years in operation.
Management systems consulting firm IBEC announced it is working with a handful of clients that have obtained R2 certification.
Ingram Micro is being considered for an acquisition by private equity firm Platinum Equity.
USA Today reported that there is a shortage of laptops for sale in the U.S., because of the coronavirus and U.S.-China trade war tariffs.
Apple expanded its independent repair program to allow participating companies to fix Mac computers. Until now, the program has only covered iPhones.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) will host a town hall event covering the R2v3 certification standard, featuring Sean De Vries of Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI).
Apple shared emails with the House Judiciary Committee indicating there is division within the company about its stance on right-to-repair issues.
Singapore technology firm Green Li-ion developed a chemical process that the company says can increase lithium-ion battery recycling efficiency.
Hyla Mobile reported that the used mobile device market gained strength during the second quarter.
Finnish manufacturer Mirka released Remint, a series of abrasive and polishing compounds that can be used to repair scratched displays.
Processor SAMR launched QuickPaq, a mail-in collection service geared toward safely collecting material from employees working from home.
Sunnking scheduled its first e-scrap collection since COVID-19 put all such gatherings on pause. The company is anticipating “record attendance” for the Aug. 29 event.