RDC Gain New Certification For Re-Use Of Used & Waste Electronics
RDC, the Braintree-based computer reuse and recycling specialists, strengthen export and re-use credibility with certification to: PAS 141:2011, the new British standard for re-use of used and waste electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE & WEEE).
PAS 141 is a British and world first. Apart from assuring prospective users that used electrical and electronic equipment has been tested for safety and functionality, the standard helps the Environment Agency in their campaign to end the illegal export of waste electronics to developing countries.
“Certification to PAS 141 is evidence of RDC’s commitment to continuing to operate to best practice standards” says RDC MD, Gerry Hackett. “RDC’s PAS 141 certified process will stand out from others especially when exporting tested for re-use IT. This new certification reassures RDC’s service and product sales customers that equipment has been tested as being safe and fit for re-use, differentiating them from products for sale from non-certified organisations.”
Gerry Hackett says “PAS 141 certification helps our growing legitimate export business for which RDC received the Queens Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2012. It will also help Environment Agency regulators to focus their investigations on illegal exporters of untested WEEE, reducing the environmental pollution and child labour exploitation that sadly goes on.”
Gordon Rainbird, RDC’s Sustainability Manager, says “PAS 141 certification complements RDC’s long standing certification to the international standards for quality, environment, safety and security management.”
Gordon says “RDC’s processes are now approved to PAS 141 to reassure stakeholders worldwide that RDC test equipment for safety, functionality and securely eradicating confidential data. Failed or obsolete items are recycled by RDC in an environmentally responsible way – with nothing disposed of to landfill.”
Really Green Credentials certified RDC as their first ever certification whilst being observed for their own accreditation assessment by UKAS. Gordon Rainbird said “Really Green Credentials were well-prepared and provided us with guidelines for the certification process, the interpretation of the PAS 141 specification and what they expected from us during the certification process itself.”
RDC’s Gary Griffiths led the development of PAS 141 for the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and currently chairs the PAS 141 Technical Advisory Committee and so did not play an active part in RDC’s certification. Gary says “Re-use is increasing in importance. The EU Waste Hierarchy emphasises re-use and the EU WEEE Directive Recast (review) calls for development of a standard to differentiate between legal, tested re-use products and illegal exports of WEEE. PAS 141 is the first to do this and hence there is also growing worldwide interest in PAS 141.”
About RDC
1. RDC is the trading name of R D Trading Limited. RDC are a wholly owned subsidiary of the British owned Computacenter Group, the leading IT services and solutions provider.
2. Started in 1992, RDC have grown to a £50 million a year business with more than 350 people working at the largest computer reuse and recycling facility in the world at the 350,000 sq ft Tekhnicon site in Braintree, Essex.
3. RDC processed more than 1.8 million used computer items in 2012, selling re-used items to more than 70 countries in the world with zero waste disposed of to landfill.
4. Photos of RDC operations are available upon request.
About PAS 141
1. PAS141:2011 is a UK first – a specification for the re-use of used and waste electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE & WEEE). PAS 141 was developed for the UK Department of Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) by a working group of stakeholders set up by the WEEE Advisory Body (WAB).
2. The WAB was established in December 2007 as an independent public body to provide advice to the UK Government on policy relating to the implementation of the EC WEEE Directive and the UK WEEE Regulations.
3. The WAB Reuse Task Group was set up to develop a re-use specification and was chaired by Gary Griffiths of RDC. Stakeholders were invited from EEE manufacturers, environmental regulators, government departments, local government, standards bodies, recyclers, environmental consultants, reuse specialists and academics.
4. Key Developments
o BIS funded a contract with the British Standards Institution to develop the re-use specification as a Publically Available Specification, which was published 31st March 2011.
o UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Scheme) was engaged with TML to produce Certification Guidelines in 2011 and interest in certification to PAS 141 was expressed in the UK and overseas.
o Valpak was appointed by BIS as the PAS 141 Scheme Administrator in March 2012 and has been working with a Technical Advisory Committee to ensure the successful roll out of PAS 141 in the UK.
o The scheme was officially launched in February 2013.
o PAS 141 has been given to CENELEC (the European Standardisation Body) to help develop an EU- standard as required in the recent recast Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.
