ANZRP invited to join Federal Government Working Group to advise on future e-stewardship model for Australia

ANZRP invited to join Federal Government Working Group

ANZRP invited to join Federal Government Working Group to advise on future e-stewardship model for Australia

ANZRP is pleased and honoured that Chief Executive Officer, Warren Overton, has been nominated to join the Scheme Administration Working Group.

In 2022 the Honourable Tanya Plibersek MP, the Minister for the Environment and Water, announced the Australian Government’s intent to develop a regulated product stewardship scheme that builds on the television and computer recycling scheme and looks to include small electronic equipment and solar panels. The motivation for this announcement stems from commitments under Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan and our target to achieve an 80% resource recovery rate, for all waste streams, by 2030.

The working group brings together experts from industry, government and community groups who will provide advice to government on how Australia’s e-stewardship model can best deliver on these national aspirations. Warren brings formidable insight to the working group having been at the helm of ANZRP since 2018 and he has experienced firsthand how smart policy, premised on understanding the dynamics of industry and the aspirations of government, can be shaped to deliver enhanced better outcomes for the economy, the environment and the community.

What role will the Scheme Administration Working Group play?

The Scheme Administration Working Group will identify preferred approaches to scheme administration. This will feed into work being overseen by the E-stewardship Working Group which will consider and make recommendations on the following matters:

  • Jurisdictional alignment – how the scheme will interact with existing or proposed state/territory legislation, landfill bans, waste management guidelines, standards, and practices.
  • Industry alignment - advise on how potential new regulation for e-stewardship will impact on the recycling and re-use sectors; installers and retailers; and importers/producers of products captured by the proposal.
  • Access and equity – take into consideration how communities across the country can get fair and reasonable access to the service(s) and making sure that scheme targets and obligations are fulfilled across all States and Territories and paid for in an equitable manner by industry.

What should a future E-stewardship scheme look like?

ANZRP welcomes the government’s plan to build and expand on the current scheme. However, it will be important that any future arrangements retain those aspects of the scheme that have made it a success to date, such as brand agency.  It is also timely to be looking at how we can drive and incentivise continuous improvements in recycling standards as well as provide for a level playing field that offers services to communities right across the country. These are some of the challenges that we face, and ones that we look forward to playing a role in addressing.


ANZRP maintains ISO certifications

International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) develop and publish international standards to ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems.

For Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP), this is important to us because we continuously aim to hold ourselves to a high standard when it comes to responsible recycling.

ANZRP are certified to three ISO standards: Quality (ISO9000), Environmental (ISO14000) and Safety (ISO45000). This means that for:

  • Quality: we work more efficiently and reduce failures.
  • Environmental: we help reduce environmental impacts, reduce waste and are more sustainable.
  • Safety: we help reduce accidents in the workplace.

ANZRP undergoes an external annual audit conducted by our independent auditor Compass and has maintained these certifications consecutively for over six years.

ANZRP has a complex and comprehensive management system, which is maintained and implemented by its Compliance Team. This system enables ANZRP to maintain a high standard in its service offering to its Members whilst fulfilling its role as a co-regulatory arrangement under the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS).

What goes into maintaining ISO certifications?

ANZRP maintains an integrated Quality, Safety and Environment (QSE) management system. It uses the ‘Mango’ software platform to schedule and monitor completion of all required activities to ensure the system is maintained, implemented, reviewed and updated. This includes reviewing the overall system to ensure it reflects our current operations, ensure that procedures and instructions are followed, and to continually review and update documents to adapt to changes over time.

Activities to enable the above include internal audits, management reviews, external audits of recyclers, collection sites and logistics providers, recording and investigating incidents and corrective actions. It is most important to ensure good record keeping to maintain a body of evidence to show that ANZRP walks its talk in implementing the management system consistently across its operations.

The audit – including extension of scope

Preparing evidence before the audit is an important practice to ensure the audit runs smoothly. The most recent recertification audit, commenced in October 2023, lasted for two days (one day in the office, the other day remotely to review evidence and interview staff), and concluded in November with a virtual walkthrough of a TechCollect event we ran for one of our Members. The audit also covered an extension of the scope of our management system to cover our work in managing member programs in New Zealand. Pleasingly, the audit went very well, and the auditor did not raise any non-conformances or observations.

ANZRP are proud to be certified to these three ISO standards and strive to maintain these certifications in years to come.


Measuring ANZRP's environmental impact

Life Cycle Assessment

Each year, as a part of its annual reporting, ANZRP undertakes a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impact of its operations within the TechCollect program and across the whole value chain.

ANZRP has conducted LCAs since FY16 and uses an independent Australian LCA research firm, Lifecycles.

 

What is a Life Cycle Assessment?

A LCA is a method of analysing the total environmental impact associated with all stages of a product, process or service.

The scope of the analysis starts from e-waste being dropped off at one of our collection sites, and includes a thorough analysis of the environmental impact of logistics and recycling all the way to downstream processing and final disposition of commodities.

The analysis then models the positive environmental impact the reintroduction of recycled materials has by way of the avoidance of raw material production (mining metals, plastic production, etc).

The report provides a balanced holistic view of the whole supply chain (end to end).  Every year, the report has shown a net positive environmental impact of ANZRP’s activities through the TechCollect program.

The report measures the impact through four key indicators below.

Metric Unit of measurement Equivalency factor
Climate Change Kg CO2e prevented from entering the atmosphere Number of trees planted
Energy MJ Net Calorific Value saved Number of Australian households’ average annual energy consumption
Particulate Matter Kg pm2.5 prevented from entering the atmosphere Km of truck driving on Australian roads
Water Cubic metres m3 saved Number of Australian households’ average annual water consumption

 

How did ANZRP perform in FY23?

The overall impact in FY23 was an improvement on FY22. See the infographic below.

This was due to a few key drivers:

  • An increase in plastics being recycled compared with last year, leading to savings in the avoidance of production of virgin plastic material
  • A volume increase in manually disassembled compared with mechanical pre-processing (from 50.5% to 58.2%)
  • Improved freight efficiency (3.3% reduction in freight kms for the same tonnage shipped)
  • An improved water model adopted starting FY23 and continuing thereafter
  • An upgraded model for printed circuit board recycling implemented from FY23 onward to enhance accuracy.

What does the future look like?

It is expected that as more recyclers use valid, domestic recycling streams for their plastic, that the LCA performance will continue to improve.

Results from FY24 will be more comparable to FY23 as the models should remain consistent.

Also, opportunities to minimise exporting material and onshoring recycling activities should provide a further benefit.


Turning the tide on e-waste

This year, Australians will generate on average more than 20 kilograms of e-waste per person.

Furthermore,  the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) suggests the collective value of the e-waste Australians sent to landfill in 2019 was $430 million.

E-waste is the term given to discarded electronic products. These products might not be of any use to you. However, they may enjoy a second life with a new owner or can be recycled to recover the valuable materials they contain.

These products include old mobile phones, televisions, computers, whitegoods and household appliances.

This week is National Recycling Week, and this provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the waste we are creating and consider how the choices we make in discarding everyday items can reduce the impact on the environment.

This year’s theme is ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’, which is certainly true for our work here at Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP).

Recycling and resource recovery should be a particularly important issue for Australians, who are among the biggest producers of e-waste per capita in the world. Analysis by the United Nations University and the International Telecommunication Union suggests Australians produce more e-waste than our friends in New Zealand, the US, Japan and China.

This is alarming. And the problem is accelerating.

Our consumption of electronic equipment is increasing and, by 2030, each Australian is expected to produce one extra kilogram of e-waste per year, taking the total to 23kg.

Here at ANZRP, we’re empowering Australians to divert their 20+ kilograms of e-waste each year back into useful resource streams.

We operate the TechCollect program, which is part of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS). TechCollect has collected and recycled more than 240,000 tonnes of e-waste since its inception. It’s a free service, fully funded by many of the world’s leading technology brands.

Australians can drop their e-waste at one of the 288 convenient collection points, diverting valuable materials away from landfill, ready for them to be reused in new products.

This National Recycling Week, we encourage all Australians to go out and drop off their e-waste at their local drop-off points.

It’s easy to get involved, and it’s free!

The first important step is to delete your data from your devices before donating. You can find some guidelines and further support on the TechCollect website.

TechCollect accepts the following items:

  • Personal and laptop computers and all cables;
  • Tablets, notebooks and palmtops;
  • Computer monitors and parts (e.g. internal hard drives and CD drives);
  • Computer peripherals and accessories (e.g. mice, keyboards, web cameras, USBs);
  • Printers, faxes, scanners and multi-functional devices; and
  • Televisions

Visit techcollect.com.au to find your closest drop-off location. These are often co-located at a waste management facility or within retail stores.

Effectively managing e-waste is a significant challenge and it is a problem that demands our collective action. Remember that donating your working yet unwanted e-waste for reuse before disposal for recycling is a simple change that can have huge environmental and social benefits.


ANZRP wins coveted award for collective product stewardship

Australia New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP) is honoured to announce that it received the Best Stewardship Outcomes from a Collective Scheme award at the 2023 Product Stewardship Excellence Awards, hosted by the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence in Sydney last night (November 2).

ANZRP is proud to be recognised for our long-running commitment to product stewardship. The award highlights that industries can work together to sustainably manage electronic waste.

The award is a testament to the loyalty of our members and the dedication of our team to deliver the best e-stewardship possible. The award cements ANZRP’s status as a leading e-stewardship provider.

As Australia’s only not-for-profit co-regulator, ANZRP is committed to reducing the environmental impacts of products and waste by collecting the waste of its members.

Since inception, ANZRP has collected and facilitated the recycling of over 240,000t tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) - that’s the equivalent weight of 428 Airbus A380s.

We hope that this award inspires brands, organisations and government to keep moving forward to improve e-stewardship in Australia.

Brand agency vital to ensure best e-stewardship outcomes
  • In July 2023, the Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) proposed an increase in the number of categories of electrical products in the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) and the introduction of a single scheme administrator to oversee compliance and community education.

ANZRP is supportive of many of the changes proposed by DCCEEW, however, we strongly believe  that any model that the government puts forward should ensure a direct relationship with between brands and organisations such as ANZRP, to enable ongoing innovation and improvement in e-waste recycling.

ANZRP at the Product Stewardship Excellence Awards 2023
Pictured: Janet Leslie (Canon, ANZRP member), Warren Overton  (CEO, ANZRP), Carla Vasconi - (COO, ANZRP), Claudia Bels -(Deputy Chair, ANZRP) and James Hole (Apple, ANZRP member) Image: Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence


New e-waste model: Opportunity to improve?

In July 2023, the Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) released an e-waste product stewardship discussion paper for public review.

The paper proposes major changes to the policies and regulations that govern e-waste recycling in Australia – particularly the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS).

The proposed changes will increase the categories of electrical products (e-products) that must be recycled and introduce a single scheme administrator that will oversee the e-waste recycling system. You can read more about what’s changing here. 

Positive direction for Australia’s e-waste system

Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP) supports the government’s proposed changes as a positive step towards a better e-stewardship system. It is a strong sign from government that they are serious about tackling thee-waste  issue.

As a not-for-profit organisation that has been a leading e-stewardship service provider for over 12 years, ANZRP has been a strong advocate for improvements to the current model of e-stewardship in Australia and therefore are pleased to see many more categories of e-waste being included in the proposed changes as this will significantly increase the amount of e-waste being recycled.

A greater focus on public awareness and education is also welcomed. Public understanding of the e-waste problem will help ensure that e-products are disposed of properly. It will also help encourage the purchase of more sustainable e-products, providing important market signals to manufacturers and designers.

While we applaud the ambition displayed in the discussion paper, there are still many improvements that government can make before finalising scheme design.

Three areas requiring attention in the government’s proposed new model

ANZRP has been responsible for recycling over 220,000 tonnes of e-waste over a 12 year period  of operation. Through this work, ANZRP have helped develop e-waste recycling systems and infrastructure in Australia.

There has been over a decade of learning from industry, government and co-regulatory arrangements, which have become part of the current e-waste model. While we strongly advocate the need for further improvements, it is crucial that past learnings are not ignored.

There are three areas that the government must address in the proposed scheme design.

1 Brand agency is necessary to turn companies from compliers to true stewards of e-products.

Currently, brands are given agency to choose how their e-waste liability is discharged under the NTCRS. Producers and importers of liable products are able to pick between competing co-regulatory arrangements and form a direct relationship to the process of recycling.

This agency gives brands a sense of ownership and responsibility and provides an avenue for them to go above and beyond minimum standards and differentiate themselves.

The proposed changes would see brands simply pay a fixed fee to a scheme administrator to discharge their liability. Tackling e-waste becomes a matter of paying a fee, rather than a meaningful business choice.

By stripping brands of the agency of choosing how their waste is recycled, they are also stripped of the opportunity to be true stewards of their e-products and a continuous improvement focus is lost.

ANZRP proposes that any model the government puts forward incorporates a direct relationship with between brands and network operators (see diagram below).

2. Standards must set a higher bar and provide incentives to go above and beyond; they must also be adequately enforced.

ANZRP has been an advocate for stronger standards in e-waste recycling for many years. The bar is currently set very low, allowing for poor practices across the industry. Additionally, standards are not enforced with enough frequency, meaning that poor practices can continue for a long time, undermining the positive outcomes achieved by others.

The proposed government changes do not make mention of standards and the need to raise and enforce them, which is a key area of omission.

To improve the current system, this is an area that should be a priority. At a minimum, government should set standards of ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and AS5377 to assure quality environmental outcomes are achieved.

Additionally, these standards must be enforced by the scheme administrator with appropriate frequency to ensure that poor practices cannot go on for too long. Poor practices not only have negative environmental outcomes but also reduce public trust in recycling which impacts the ability to encourage better consumer recycling practices.

There must also be some incentive for companies to go above and beyond the minimum standards and to move beyond simple compliance. The proposed model by government implies that this should be handled by voluntary product stewardship schemes. ANZRP is concerned that relying solely on voluntary schemes to deliver improved standards of recycling will not deliver the required outcomes.

Of concern is that this type of model could lead to a large proliferation of voluntary schemes that could create many different standards that are not harmonised. This would not only add costs for industry but would add costs for government who would need to oversee these different schemes.

3. Remote communities must be treated differently, and there must be local involvement.

ANZRP services some of the most remote communities in Central Australia, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia. Our experience of providing e-stewardship services to remote communities has shown that it requires a very different approach.

The current model proposed by government does not make a clear statement about how remote communities will be serviced with e-waste recycling services. Volumes from remote communities are extremely low, making recycling far from cost-effective, yet providing access to these communities is critical.

Local involvement and partnerships have been a key part of delivering services and promoting e-waste recycling in these remote communities.

Local councils and community groups also play a large role in e-waste recycling in non-remote areas yet are not featured in the proposed changes. It is not clear how the single scheme administrator will manage these different local groups.

It is critical for any proposed change to articulate the role of local community and government in e-stewardship, as both are key players in the e-waste system.  

A pathway to better e-stewardship in Australia

The past 12 years have taught us many lessons about e-waste recycling. It is important for any new model to understand these learnings and build on the foundations of the current system.

By building on what works well now, ANZRP is confident that Australia will be on a pathway to better e-stewardship which supports a rapid transition to a circular economy.


B Corp certification logo on a microchip.

ANZRP recertifies as a B Corp

In July, ANZRP successfully recertified as a B Corp achieving with a score of 109.2, a big improvement on our initial certification score of 89.5 in 2019.

Our commitment to improving our standards of governance, social and environmental wellbeing and employee wellbeing have helped boost our score.  

What is B Corp certification?

B Corp (or Benefit Corporation) is a voluntary certification scheme for organisations who aim to demonstrate high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and accountability. Founded in 2006 by B Lab, the B Corp movement aims to use business as a force for good by creating a network of organisations that go beyond profit to benefit people and planet.

Over 7,000 organisations worldwide are certified B Corporations, across 91 countries. Australia is home to 560 of these entities.

Making a huge improvement on our score

To certify, or recertify, a company must complete a B Impact Assessment which will give them a score. The median score for companies who undertake a B Corp assessment is 50.2. To qualify for certification, organisations must score 80 points or above.

We’re proud to have made a massive leap from a score of 89.5 in 2019, to 109.2 this year. It’s hard evidence of the incredible effort that our people have put in over the last few years to improve the way ANZRP runs and grows its positive contribution.  

Growing ANZRP’s positive impact – three years of highlights

Since 2019, ANZRP has put in place numerous initiatives to improve its environmental, social and economic performance. Here are some of the achievements we’re proudest of, laid out against B Corp’s five pillars:

Governance –

  • Embedding our purpose into our constitution (mission lock) to ensure that our social purpose is legally enshrined.
  • Linking social and environmental performance directly to Executive Team roles.

Workers –

  • Improving our workplace by establishing hybrid work, expanding our bonus scheme, and providing equitable parental leave.
  • Increasing activity of the Wellbeing Team, with double the budget and triple the activity frequency.
  • Improvement in employee education, upskilling and on-the-job training.
  • Introduction of whistleblower policy.

Community –

  • Improved ethnic diversity across the ANZRP team.
  • Increased the number of women working at ANZRP to over 50%
  • Improved age diversity by 50%.

Environment –

  • Increasing our low-impact renewable energy use from 30% to 79% of total energy use.
  • Achieving carbon neutrality by tracking carbon emissions and purchasing offsets.

Customers –

  • Working with and consulting clients to improve their practices.
  • Surveying customers to help measure our outcomes.
  • Conducting a third-party Life Cycle Assessment to benchmark our performance.

What next?

ANZRP will next be up for recertification in 2026. By this stage, the format of the assessment will change. The five pillars will become 10, and more questions will be added. 

We will continue to build on our success and grow our positive contributions to people and planet.

You can read about our B Corp score in more detail here.


Government to propose changes to e-waste scheme this month

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is set to release the next e-waste product stewardship discussion paper later this month.

This paper will propose major changes to the policies and regulations that govern e-waste recycling in Australia – particularly the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS).

These changes will add additional categories of e-waste, more than doubling the amount of e-waste covered by the program, and making many more companies  liable for the recycling of their products. This will have a substantial impact on our members and the wider e-waste ecosystem.

ANZRP welcomes the work that the DCCEEW is doing to review and improve the e-waste recycling system. With the right changes, we can better tackle the growing volumes of e-waste in our system.

Reviewing the NTCRS – what’s happening

The Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 (RAWR Act) that governs the NTCRS is being reviewed. Between October 2022 and April 2023, four papers were progressively released for industry consultation on key areas of scheme design. ANZRP engaged government closely on these papers up until the end of the consultation period in April 2023. We have been pleased to have been able to collaborate effectively with government over this period, and hope to see this continue.

The upcoming public consultation paper will present a consolidated version of the proposed changes, reflecting industry’s input. This paper will be released later in June for public consultation over a five-week period before the Department enters into a more detailed design phase.

It is expected that an Exposure Draft will be released at the start of 2024, with new legislation to be enacted by 30 June 2024.

An opportunity to improve the e-waste recycling system – what ANZRP hopes to see

The review of the RAWR Act and the NTCRS presents a huge opportunity for government to improve the way Australia tackles e-waste and shore up some of the gaps in the current system.

As a long-term proponent of higher recycling standards, ANZRP hopes to see the new legislation raise the bar across the industry. At a minimum, the ISO 45001 (safety) and ISO 14001 (environment) standards should be incorporated as appropriate to ensure quality safety and environmental outcomes are achieved.

There is also an opportunity to promote higher levels of recycling performance by tackling compliance as a spectrum rather than a pass/fail. We hope to see a scheme that expects parties to meet a minimum bar, but also rewards those who go above and beyond, providing motivation to strive for higher performance. The scheme should also provide mechanisms to support the improvement of poor performers.

The changes should incorporate stronger oversight of the scheme, with more transparent and regular measurement and reporting of scheme performance from both government and co-regulators. This would also enable more timely administration of the scheme, and reduce the length and impacts of poor performance.

Improvements to the e-waste collection system are also required to ensure fair and equitable provision of collection services in metro, regional and remote locations.

With the expansion of the NTCRS looking to include households and SME e-waste collection, a large-scale public education initiative, as well as consumer resources, will need to be developed to elevate the profile of the scheme and its role in managing Australia’s e-waste. Co-regulators and recyclers should also play a role in public education, with a particular focus on proper recycling processes and safe data deletion.

Lastly, as the broader waste discussion continues to progress towards circularity, ANZRP hopes that the public consultation paper includes considerations beyond recycling. Looking upstream, it will be important to consider the design of products and the right to repair. And looking downstream, factoring in ways to ensure ethical and responsible recycling processes, and production from recovered material.

Taking an ambitious but informed approach

ANZRP has provided e-Stewardship services for over 11 years. Over this time, we have served global technology companies that are leaders in this field. Through the years, we have been strong advocates for higher standards, better quality and more transparency in e-waste recycling.

We support an ambitious approach to tackling e-waste, however one that is well-informed that takes into consideration all the risks to prevent unintended consequences.

The changes to the NTCRS should help upgrade the current system without backtracking on the significant progress that has been made in the last decade.

Provisions will also need to be made to help build capacity within the e-waste recycling sector to handle the higher volumes of waste and prevent build-up of e-waste in storage.

A positive outlook for e-Stewardship

ANZRP has been engaging closely with government on the upcoming changes and have welcomed the level of collaboration and openness during the process. It has given us confidence that the outlook for e-Stewardship in Australia is a positive one. We are hopeful that the next paper will continue this positive trend.

We encourage all our stakeholders to provide their input on the paper when it is made public later this month.


The year of the waste ban - a step in the right direction for Australia's recycling industry

A year on from the start of China’s National Sword policy, recycling industries and governments across the world are still adjusting to the new and rapidly changing market conditions. Policies are also evolving: by early 2019, China will prohibit the import of low-grade copper scrap (specifically small motors and insulated wires), and it has signaled its intention to ban the import of all solid waste by 2020. While many in the recycling industry have been holding out hope for a policy reversal, it is unlikely that the industry will ever be able to go back to business as usual.

As other key countries in South-East Asia follow suit with their own waste import bans, Australia (along with the EU, North America, and other developed nations) is under significant pressure to develop its own materials processing capacity, or at least improve material sorting and quality, and reduce contamination levels. While household recyclables were the main focus for state government support in 2018, e-waste has been designated as a priority stream for funding in NSW, and Victoria’s e-waste ban which comes into force in July will likely drive further opportunities for investment in the sector.

The next few years are likely to be challenging for recyclers as downstream supply chains reorganise and regulatory risks remain uncertain. However, as stated by the European Electronics Recycling Association last year, this is an opportunity for the transition to a circular economy, and Australia is no exception. The combined effect of the National Sword and greater public awareness of waste issues (in part thanks to the ABC’s War on Waste) is creating an environment which can drive much-needed innovation in the resource recovery sector, for example:

  • The microfactory recycling model, which uses innovative methods to maximise value recovery from waste without relying on economies of scale;
  • Low-energy and low-impact metal recovery and purification (e.g. low temperature methods such as environmentally friendly hydrometallurgy, or biohydrometallurgy);
  • Development of automated and robotic dismantling and sorting techniques, driven by exponential growth in AI technologies.

As the only not-for-profit, industry-for-industry Co-regulatory Arrangement operating under the NTCRS, ANZRP is in constant discussions with businesses at the forefront of such technological development. We are also formally advocating for Government to assist in the development of downstream markets within the country, so that Australia can reap the environmental and economic rewards of keeping materials in a closed manufacturing loop.

China’s decision is the consequence of market failure and prolonged unsustainable business practice; however, with strong leadership, government support, and innovation across the supply chain – both upstream and downstream – the waste sector can evolve and develop into a more resilient and more sustainable industry.

 

Dr Rob Hewlett, Program Assistant


ANZRP is Social Traders certified

 

ANZRP is proud to announce we have recently achieved Social Traders Certification, joining a community of Australian businesses that are driven by a social purpose.

Social Traders exists to create jobs for disadvantaged Australians by linking business and government buyers with social enterprises.

As a supplier of an e-waste collection service, we join a network of 250 social enterprises and 36 buyer members looking to improve the social sustainability of their procurement.

Our goal in joining this network is to connect with like-minded organisations and provide our e-waste collection service to a greater number of Australian businesses and government agencies.

Since 2008, Social Traders has facilitated deals between buyers and social enterprises worth $28million and supported 350 jobs for disadvantaged people.

We look forward to the rewards this membership will bring, and the ways we can work with a community of organisations who share our values to achieve a wonderful outcome for all involved.

Visit their website to read more about their fantastic work.