New approved collector helps purchasers tackle e-waste

Our current, linear way of producing and consuming IT products damages fragile ecosystems and causes the loss of valuable natural resources. E-waste is a huge part of the problem – accumulating at the record rate of 50 million metric tonnes yearly. When e-waste is not handled responsibly, hazardous substances may be released into the environment and potentially end up in food and water.

TCO Certified Edge, E-waste Compensated, is a powerful tool for purchasers and the IT industry to combat e-waste. IT product brand owners can make sure that for every certified product that is manufactured, an equivalent amount of e-waste is collected in a country that is lacking in safe recycling systems. The environment is protected from hazardous substances, and fair job opportunities are created locally due to social requirements. The collected e-waste is transported to a recycling plant compliant with strict environmental criteria.

Organizations coordinating e-waste collection connected to TCO Certified Edge, E-waste Compensated must comply with strict social and environmental requirements. The Dutch IT service provider ARGO360 has recently undergone an evaluation conducted by an independent verifier and is the latest approved collector for TCO Certified Edge, E-waste Compensated.

“When it comes to coordinating e-waste collection, transparency is key. As an approved collector for TCO Certified Edge, E-waste Compensated, the collector must have proper systems to track all e-waste and publicly communicate how they work with social issues and collection of products in their code of conduct. The collector also needs to work with reliable recycling and refurbishment companies”, says Sören Enholm, CEO at TCO Development, the organization behind TCO Certified.

“By taking responsibility and embracing a circular economy approach, ARGO360 is committed to promoting reuse, waste offsetting, and recycling of IT products, while fulfilling its corporate social responsibility. This reflects ARGO360’s unwavering commitment to a more sustainable future for everyone”, says Victor Jansma, partner at ARGO360.

Dutch social enterprise Closing the Loop has until now been the only approved collector for TCO Certified Edge, E-waste Compensated. The criterion is available for notebooks, smartphones, and tablets. More information about e-waste and the e-waste compensation scheme can be found here.