IDC Green Recycling and Asset Disposal for the Enterprise Certification

Asset recovery and disposition of corporate IT assets has grown from an obscure niche sector to a fully recognized industry, according to research firm International Data Corporation (IDC). And while significant strides have been made, it still has room for major improvements.

With thousands of companies involved in various aspects of the collection, treatment and marketing of retired IT assets, the industry is still in its fledgling phases and fragmented, says IDC. Notwithstanding its evolution from a function of scrap collection to a set of acceptable practices and standards, now expanded regulations, fear of data breaches and concern over the environment have businesses clamoring for third-party professionals with proven expertise, skills and capabilities—and for IDC’s guidance in selecting an IT asset recovery provider.

For these reasons, IDC, one of the world’s leading providers of consulting services to the information technology industry, decided to launch its own certification process, using a number of key criteria to identify the IT asset disposal (ITAD) vendors with the most responsible and sustainable operating practices.

The result: it recognized five organizations with its first Green Recycling and Asset Disposal for the Enterprise (G.R.A.D.E.) certification, noting that only these five organizations have thus far made significant investments in establishing sound IT asset recovery and disposal processes. Redemtech was proud to be named among this exclusive charter community, exceeding the minimum criteria passing grade of 75 percent.

IDC’s endorsement and G.R.A.D.E. certification methodology relied on rating five key functions that are used as standard practices by all selected vendors. Certification was based on 34 ITAD-related functions and tasks related to remote applications, onsite services, logistics, in-plant processing and post treatment. Within each of the five functions were 34 operational variables, which received their own ratings. These operations are a series of tasks that have to be offered by the ITAD vendors or their partners, if such function is outsourced.

According to IDC, understanding which ITAD vendor to select can make a major difference in guaranteeing environmental sustainability and business continuity, while providing a higher level of protection to a company's intellectual, financial and other assets. The research company created the certification for both OEMs and core IT asset disposition vendors, like Redemtech.

IDC’s certification of Redemtech was based on a number of environmental sustainability efforts we have adopted, including:

• Strictly adhering to a zero-landfill, zero-export, zero-incineration, zero-prison labor
  Environmental Policy for managing e-waste
• Developing processes that significantly exceed all environmental standards required by law as monitored by ISO 14001 certification
• Upholding the world’s most rigorous mandates for the dismantling and recycling of e-waste as endorsed by The Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship
• Holding its partners and downstream handlers to the same high standards of e-waste accountability, through rigorous vetting and surprise inspections
• Utilizing a data security process that ensures 100 percent verified destruction and auditable proof of results

IDC also looked at Redemtech’s capabilities to reduce clients’ environmental footprint and control its costs. It noted that while the study primarily looked at practices in the U.S., Redemtech has also provided services to clients in Canada, the U.K. and Western Europe since 2001. “The company has established stringent processes that are highly valued by some of the world’s largest corporations that utilize its services,” said IDC research manager David Daoud.

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