R2 Certification Shift to R2V3

R2 REVISION REVIEW

There are now over 900 R2 Certified facilities in the world! R2 Certification means these facilities are reusing or recycling their electronics in a way that promotes resource preservation, environmental sustainability and the ongoing health and safety of both employees and the world at large.
Quality Standards
Quality Standards
THE NEW R2 CERTIFICATION MODEL
R2:2013 is the current model of the standard, but SERI (Sustainable Electronics Recycling International), the governing body of the standard, has announced a new version. R2v3 is expected to be finalized later in 2019, with 18-24 months given to allow to transition to the new standard. The next phase in the revision process is the review of the almost 500 comments submitted. After the R2 Technical Advisory (TAC) has completed the review, comments will be published on this webpage along with responses from the TAC. Multiple public comment periods may be initiated as the TAC makes additional changes to the R2v3 draft. The final version of the R2v3 Standard is expected to be completed and approved in late 2019.

TIMELINES FOR SHIFTING R2 CERTIFICATION TO R2V3

Deadline for companies pursuing certification to the old R2:2013 Standard
Once R2v3 is released, organizations in the process of certifying to the old R2:2013 version will have no more than 6 months to finish the registration audit (Stage 2). After the six-month deadline, Certification Bodies will no longer be permitted to conduct R2:2013 registration audits for certifications.

Transition timeline for currently certified R2:2013 facilities
R2:2013 Certificates that expire within the first 12 months after the release of the new R2v3 Standard may be recertified to R2:2013, however, the expiration date on the certificate can be no later than December 31, 2022.  Any R2:2013 certificate that expires AFTER the 12-month period will be required to be upgraded to the new R2v3 Standard.   

Final transition deadline for R2:2013 certificates
No R2:2013 certificates will be issued with an expiration date beyond the final transition deadline of December 31, 2022. All R2:2013 Certificates will expire on or before this date.   

Staggered transition plan provides R2 certified facilities a minimum of one year
To plan for and transition expiring certificates to R2v3. It will take a few years for all expiring R2 certificates to cycle through and transition to R2v3. Linking transition deadlines to the expiration date on R2:2013 certificates is intended to balance the workload for the certification bodies and avoid an overload of facilities trying to transition at the last minute. It will also maintain consistency with the 3-year cycle for the required EH&S certifications as well. R2:2013 Certified facilities may transition to R2v3 prior to the expiration date on their R2:2013 certificate depending on the availability of auditors and the agreement of their Certification Body.

Frequently Asked Question

ISO certification follows the same process, regardless of the ISO standard you are seeking:

  1. Establish, implement and verify your ISO management system
  2. Stage 1 audit – Documentation Review
  3. Stage 2 audit – Full system audit
  4. Closure of any findings
  5. Certification!

The standards that best suit your company vary by the industry you are in. In order to identify the standards that will provide your company with the greatest benefits, we recommend the following:

  1. Talk to your customers – many of them may require certain ISO standards.
  2. Evaluate your companies risks – see where your companies great liabilities are what needs to be controlled (e.g. quality, environmental aspects, health & safety hazards, IT security, etc.).
  3. Be proactive and identify new business opportunities – evaluate new areas / industries you want to grow your business. Often times, these new industries may require some sort of certification in order to enter. Certification takes time, so being proactive and having the certifications before bidding on projects can put you ahead of your competition.

The time to become ISO certified really depends on a few different factors:

  1. The resources you have available to support the ISO process
  2. Your own internal timeframe that you need / want to be certified by
  3. The standard’s requirement for how much evidence you need to support certification

Certification requires you to show through objective evidence that you have an effective ISO management system in place. In order to do this, you need to show that you have sufficient evidence available to support this claim. At a minimum, most standards will require 3 months of evidence of implementing your management system in order to be certified.

Some standards, such as IATF 16949, may require a minimum of one year of evidence to support certification.

The cost for certification can vary greatly from one company to another. There are typically several factors that go into the costs for certification:

  1. Certification body fees
  2. Certification body audit day rates
  3. Auditor travel costs
  4. Standard license fees (e.g. R2, RIOS, eStewards license fees)
  5. Consulting Fees

Audit time and consulting time is typically based on the following factors:

  1. Number of employees
  2. Number of processes and the risks associated with those processes
  3. Number of locations

We have the experience to help you navigate the certification body costs and possible discounts they can offer.

You can Request a Quote here or get an Instant Quote here

ISO certification shows your customers that you follow industry best practices and that your business is well structured and ready for growth.

Each ISO standard has its own benefits, for example:

  • ISO 9001 – Ensures you provide your customers with a quality product or service
  • ISO 27001 – Protects your information, data and reputation
  • ISO 14001 – Reduces your environmental impact
  • ISO 45001 – Protects your workers
  • Responsible Recycling (R2) – ensures responsible management of used electronics

Common benefits across all ISO standard include:

  • Increased efficiency
  • Reduced costs
  • Improved customer satisfaction
  • More engaged employees
  • Reduced risks
  • Reduced insurance premiums
  • Helps with project bidding

By achieving and maintaining an ISO certification, you are showing your company’s commitment to achieving your objectives, improving your business and increasing the credibility and customer confidence in your product or service.

Yes. We have been providing remote auditing and consulting services for years. We have found remote auditing and consulting to be just as effective as on-site. We use a variety of tools to ensure we are thorough in our remote services, while saving you time and money.

The great thing about working with Glacier consulting is that you don’t need anything in place to get started. We will work with you ever step of the way to ensure you have everything you need to get certified.

Most companies have far more in place than they realize. Just because it may not be documented, doesn’t mean you don’t have processes in place. We will work with your team to improve, streamline and formalize these processes.

One of the most common questions we get is how much time and effort does it take to get and maintain certification. The bulk of the effort should be at the beginning to get your management system established and implemented. To do this, we take what you already do and formalize it to meet the standard requirements. There may be some minor tweaking done, but this typically only improves and streamlines your process.

Once your ISO management system is in place, maintaining it should be as easy as breathing because it should become part of your culture and everyday operations. At the end of the day, you shouldn’t think of it as your ISO system, you should think of it as simply your way of operating your company.

We work with countless ISO standards. We’ve only listed the most common ISO standards typically sought after. We have a diverse team with tremendous knowledge in many of the ISO standards. Contact us and let us know what standard you are interested in. If we don’t offer that service, we can find you someone who can.

We can tailor a service specific to your needs to help you along your ISO journey. We can provide basic guidance to full “White Glove” support. If it’s business or ISO related, we’ve got you covered. A few of our services include:

  1. General ISO Consulting
  2. Documentation Prep
  3. Training
  4. Auditing
  5. Maintenance

Contact us with any questions you have or for services not listed here.