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May 10, 2022

CEAR, a comprehensive electronic asset disposal provider, was presented with the Joint Members Resolution of the California Legislature upon attaining 22 years of service. The Resolution, which was sponsored by Senator Jim Nielsen and Assemblyman Vince Fong, recognizes CEAR’s “Contributions to economic, societal, and environmental well-being in the State of California” and specially commends the leadership of President and CEO Paul Gao.

“We are very honored to receive this recognition and will continue our mission towards a more sustainable future,” said Paul Gao. “CEAR will be part of the ecosystem building a new supply chain for renewable and recyclable materials”

CEAR’s commitment to this mission has resulted in the responsible recycling and material recovery of over 270 million pounds of electronic equipment through 22 years of operation. Adapting to the fast pace of change in the electronics industry has been a challenge, but CEAR has maintained success by staying anchored to environmental stewardship and leading the search for new solutions that enable a circular economy.

About CEAR

CEAR is a leading provider of IT Asset Disposition, Secure Data Destruction and Electronic Waste Recycling. Since 2000, our innovative technology has been designed and refined for sustainability to refurbish and recycle an average of 20 million pounds of electronics yearly. Our customizable solutions cover all aspects of electronics disposition across an extensive range of industries.

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an R&D branch of the U.S. Military, has issued a Disruption Opportunity with the purpose of funding research into new ways of recovering critical elements from e-waste. According to DARPA, more than 70% of many rare earth elements that they have determined to be crucial to electronic hardware are sourced from China and are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. Currently the technology to extract these materials from e-waste is limited but there is the potential to close the domestic supply chain loop. A recent study has shown that these elements, which include gallium, indium, tantalum, neodymium, praseodymium, europium, and dysprosium, are contained in e-waste at greater quantities than new manufacturing would require. 

It should come as no surprise that efforts to reduce the fragility of supply chains are increasing, and circular economies solve many of the issues associated with how we currently make and dispose of products. The success of a program like this will lead to valuable innovation in e-waste recycling and materials recovery. 

See here for more information:
https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2022/03/17/feds-fund-rd-for-rare-earths-and-other-e-scrap-metals/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=internal&utm_campaign=March+18+FR 

Sustainability in product design is quickly becoming a mandatory feature for the vocal and rapidly growing group of climate conscious customers. Manufacturers embracing this trend are making changes such as increasing post-consumer recycled content in construction and replacing adhesives with reusable fasteners to facilitate the repairing, refurbishing, and recycling of products.  

Extending the life of devices at the hardware level isn’t the only way to make sustainable design improvements. With the ubiquity of connected gadgets and the IoT, further commitments to extended software support will be a necessary path forward. Longevity must be planned for and guaranteed in advance. With so many devices now at the mercy of manufacturers, a promise of support that matches the hardware’s lifespan is a critical consideration for consumers. 

E-waste is the world’s fastest growing waste stream and only a fraction of devices are diverted from landfills and managed by certified e-waste recyclers. Effectively implemented, these changes could be a big step forward in the shift to a circular economy of electronics and a greener future.

Since 2000, CEAR has been meeting the need for end-of-life electronics management with the highest standards of service. Under the direction of Paul Gao, CEAR has become a strong and experienced leader in environmentally sustainable electronic asset recovery.

Organizations that rely on their IT assets should expect significant benefits from right-to-repair policies as they continue to attract greater interest and support. President Biden recently made remarks in favor of the Federal Trade Commission’s announcement that it would take action against illegal repair restrictions. This follows his Executive Order on Promoting Competition, signed in July, which specifically addresses restrictions to third-party repair. 

Allowing independent companies to repair electronic devices has clear advantages to consumers and ITAD businesses alike.

• Companies choosing devices that are designed to be repaired will see greater reductions to their total cost of ownership when it comes time to upgrade or retire their equipment.
• Those offering ITAD services will also be able to recover maximum value from devices that they can refurbish and remarket, sharing that added value with their partners.

Additionally, some OEMs may be better able to profit from selling parts, tools, and repair manuals to certified ITAD providers than they would by only offering repair services.

On a broader level, increasing the rate of repair and keeping IT equipment out of landfills will have a positive environmental impact. This is an important consideration, and possibly a quantifiable one, for the growing number of organizations that are adopting Environmental, Social, and Governance reporting. Companies that work with their ITAD partner to develop a plan for their electronic assets will be in the best position to take advantage of this industry shift.

CEAR speaks at NAHMMA annual conference where the platform was a bit different this year. The conference was virtual due to the pandemic and was still well attended. Kristin DiLallo Sherrill spoke on the panel organized by the National Stewardship Action Council for Vaping and Return to Retail, Problems & Solutions. 5 panelists shared their problems and solutions of the overly saturated vaping industry and closing the loop with the end product.

To watch the panel please click here

In technology recycling, data security is crucial. Choosing a secure and reliable company, who is audited by NAID, is one of the most critical aspects of making a decision on your data security provider.

NAID is the standards setting body for the information destruction industry. NAID AAA Certification verifies the qualifications of certified information destruction providers through a comprehensive scheduled and unannounced audit program. To learn more about NAID requirements for certification please click here.

 

Please see our certifications page for a listing of everything CEAR has achieved.

“ISO 9001 is a certification that certain formal processes are being used within a company for their management of Quality Control. This includes monitoring processes, maintaining complete and accurate records, checking for defective output, taking action to correct defects, and continual internal reviews for effectiveness.”

Please see our certifications page for a listing of everything CEAR has achieved. 

Many of them have come up with some innovative solutions to try and sustain.

Read more at WasteDive