Responsible recycling alternative
e-Stewards, and how it differs from R2
The other electronics recycling standard, run by the Basel Action Network. Stricter on export, certified across your whole company rather than facility by facility, and it requires two other certifications underneath it.
e-Stewards is a certification standard for responsible electronics reuse, recycling and disposition, created and administered by the Basel Action Network. Its defining characteristic is the Basel Convention: the standard explicitly requires compliance with international transboundary waste rules, which in practice means no export of hazardous electronic waste to developing countries.
Version 4.1 is current, and unlike earlier editions it's available free from BAN. There is also a separate e-Stewards Repair Standard for organizations focused on repair, refurbishment and reuse.
Two certifications sit underneath it
This surprises people. e-Stewards is not a standalone certification — it layers on top of two others, and both have to be in place.
Required — environmental
ISO 14001 or RIOS
A certified environmental management system as the base. You choose which. The e-Stewards standard is laid out in the same order and framework as ISO 14001:2015, specifically so the two can be audited together.
Required — data security
NAID AAA Certification
Since July 2022, e-Stewards requires current NAID AAA certification from i-SIGMA, including every endorsement relevant to your business model. This is a separate certification programme with its own audits, and it's the prerequisite most often discovered late.
The comparison
R2v3 or e-Stewards?
Both are legitimate, both are audited by accredited certification bodies, and both demonstrate responsible recycling. They differ in scope, structure and philosophy, and the practical differences matter more than the philosophical ones.
| R2v3 | e-Stewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Administered by | SERI — Sustainable Electronics Recycling International | BAN — Basel Action Network |
| Certification scope | Facility by facility. You choose which sites to certify. | Corporate. Applies to all your facilities and operations within a country, not selected sites. |
| Structure | Ten Core Requirements plus six optional appendices matching what you do. | A single integrated standard covering environmental, health and safety, social accountability and data security. |
| Required underneath | A certified EH&S management system. A certified QMS as well for Appendix C or F. | ISO 14001 or RIOS, plus NAID AAA for data security. |
| Export position | Controlled through downstream due diligence and the recycling chain. | Explicit Basel Convention compliance. No export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries. |
| Data security | Core 7, with Appendix B for logical sanitization. | Delegated to NAID AAA certification. |
| Also prohibits | Not addressed separately | Prison labour in processing toxic electronics; landfilling of toxic materials. |
| Standard cost | Free from SERI. | Free from BAN since version 4. |
The difference that catches people out
R2 lets you certify one facility. e-Stewards is a corporate standard. It applies to all of your facilities and operations within a country. If you run four sites and only want one certified, that decision alone points you toward R2. If you want a single credential covering everything, e-Stewards is built for it.
Choosing
Which suits you
We implement both and take no position on which is philosophically better. These are the practical signals.
-
Lean R2v3 if
Modular and site-specific
- You want to certify some sites and not others
- Your activities map cleanly to specific appendices
- Customers or contracts name R2 specifically
- You'd rather not add NAID AAA as a separate programme
-
Lean e-Stewards if
Corporate and export-strict
- You want one credential covering every facility
- Basel Convention compliance is a customer requirement
- You already hold, or want, NAID AAA
- Buyers in your market ask for it by name
They aren't mutually exclusive, and some markets ask for one while others ask for the other. If you're weighing that, it's worth a conversation before you commit to either.
Sequencing matters here
Because two certifications sit underneath e-Stewards, the order you tackle them in largely determines the timeline. Getting that wrong is the most common way an e-Stewards project overruns.
Decide the standard, then the prerequisites
e-Stewards or R2, then ISO 14001 or RIOS underneath, and whether NAID AAA is already in place.
Build the base management system
The environmental system first, since the e-Stewards standard is structured to be audited alongside it.
Layer the e-Stewards requirements
Export controls and Basel compliance, downstream due diligence, worker protections and the industry-specific performance requirements.
Internal audit, then certification
Full-scope internal audit with findings closed, then Stage 1 and Stage 2 with an accredited e-Stewards certification body.
Questions
Common questions
Is e-Stewards better than R2?
Neither is better. They're different, and the practical differences matter more than the philosophical ones — corporate versus facility scope, the NAID AAA prerequisite, and how explicitly each handles export. What usually decides it is what your customers ask for and how many sites you want certified.
Can we hold both R2v3 and e-Stewards?
Yes, and some recyclers do, particularly where different customers or markets ask for different credentials. It means maintaining both, so it's worth being clear about what each one is winning you.
What is NAID AAA and do we really need it?
NAID AAA is i-SIGMA's data security certification, and yes — e-Stewards has required it since July 2022, including the endorsements relevant to your business model. It's a separate programme with its own audits, and it's the prerequisite most often discovered late in a project.
Does e-Stewards really cover all our facilities?
Yes. It's a corporate standard applying to all your facilities and operations within a country, rather than the selected sites you choose. If you only want one site certified, R2 is structured for that and e-Stewards is not.
Is the e-Stewards standard free?
Yes, since version 4. Earlier editions were paid. The Repair Standard is published separately and is also available from BAN.
Do you implement e-Stewards as well as R2?
Yes. We work on both, and on the ISO 14001 or RIOS systems that sit underneath either. We have no commercial reason to steer you toward one.
Next step
Weighing R2v3 against e-Stewards?
Ten minutes usually settles it. We implement both, so there's no answer we're pushing you toward.