Questions and answers
Certification questions, answered plainly
33 questions we get asked, grouped by what you're trying to work out. Written the way we'd answer them on a call — including the ones where the honest answer is that you might not need us.
Choosing a standard
Which certification do we actually need?
It depends on what's driving the decision. If a customer or tender asked, find out exactly which standard they named. If you handle used electronics, R2v3 or RIOS. If you're a manufacturer wanting consistency, ISO 9001. If it's environmental permits or a sustainability questionnaire, ISO 14001. Working this out is the first thing we do on a free call, and it takes about ten minutes.
What's the difference between ISO 14001 and R2v3?
ISO 14001 is a general environmental management standard for any organization. R2v3 is specific to electronics reuse and recycling and adds requirements ISO 14001 doesn't cover — data sanitization, Focus Material handling, downstream vendor due diligence and equipment categorization. They're not alternatives: R2v3 Core 3 actually requires a certified EH&S management system underneath it, which is commonly ISO 14001 with ISO 45001.
Should a recycler choose RIOS or ISO 9001?
RIOS if recycling is your business, you want one integrated system covering quality, environment and safety, or buyers such as OEMs and mills ask for it specifically. ISO 9001 if your operations span multiple industries, you need a general quality framework, or you want broader global recognition. We implement both and have no reason to steer you either way.
Do we have to certify to ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 together?
No. Many organizations certify to one and stop, and that's frequently right. The standards share a clause structure and are designed to work together, so integrating is efficient when you genuinely need more than one — but it isn't mandatory.
Do we need a consultant at all?
Not always. Organizations with an experienced quality manager and time to spare often get there alone. Consultants earn their fee when the deadline is fixed, internal capacity isn't there, or the cost of a failed audit outweighs the cost of preparing properly. If you can handle it in-house, that's the advice you'll get on the call.
Versions & 2026 transitions
Which version of ISO 9001 should we certify to right now?
ISO 9001:2015. It's the only certifiable version — ISO 9001:2026 has not been published, with publication targeted for September 2026. Even after it publishes, certification bodies need roughly nine to twelve months to become accredited before they can issue 2026 certificates. Certifying to 2015 now is the right move; you transition later during a scheduled audit.
Is our ISO 14001:2015 certificate still valid?
Yes, through the transition window. ISO 14001:2026 published on 15 April 2026 with a 36-month transition, and published guidance points to 2015 certificates expiring no later than 14 April 2029. Your exact date depends on when your certificate was issued and your certification body's rules — get it from them in writing.
What do we have to do about climate change right now?
Determine and document whether climate change is a relevant issue for your context, and whether interested parties have climate-related requirements. This came in via an amendment on 23 February 2024 that applied to 31 ISO management system standards with no transition period, so it's already being audited. The trap is documentation: record the assessment even if your conclusion is that it isn't relevant.
Is ISO 45001 being revised?
A revision is in progress. ISO's catalogue entry for the 2024 climate amendment states it is expected to be replaced by ISO/DIS 45001. No publication date or transition rules are confirmed, so ISO 45001:2018 remains the version to certify to.
Is R2:2013 still valid?
No. R2:2013 sunset on 1 July 2023. R2v3 is the only certifiable version of the R2 Standard.
Cost & timeline
How much does certification consulting cost?
Most engagements fall between $4,000 and $12,000 in consulting fees, quoted as a fixed price against a written scope before work starts. The biggest factor is how much system already exists — then number of sites, headcount, which standard, and how much you want to keep in-house. Your certification body's audit fees are separate and paid directly to them.
What are the costs beyond consulting?
Three things are separate from us: your certification body's audit fees, which scale with scope and number of sites; for R2, your SERI facility licence; and your own team's time, which is the cost people most often forget. Ask your registrar for the full multi-year picture including surveillance audits, not just the initial audit.
How long does ISO certification take?
Three to six months for a single-site organization starting from scratch, assuming documentation work stays on schedule. Multi-site operations take longer. Adding a second or third ISO standard doesn't extend it much, because the shared clauses get written once.
How long does R2v3 certification take?
Four to six months is typical for electronics recyclers and ITAD providers. The range extends to six to twelve months for large, multi-site or from-scratch operations. Scope drives it more than facility size — adding Appendix B and C with a complex downstream chain takes considerably longer.
What makes a project take longer than expected?
For R2, discovering late that you need a certified EH&S or quality system underneath. For ISO, internal capacity — we write documentation, but your team has to describe how the operation actually runs. And for everyone, auditor availability: certification body lead times frequently determine the date, not your readiness.
The process
What does a gap analysis include?
A clause-by-clause review of your current system against the standard, written up as findings with an owner and an effort estimate for each. You finish with a prioritized list of what to fix and in what order — useful even if you carry on without us.
What's the difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2?
Stage 1 reviews your documentation and readiness. Stage 2 is the full operational audit of whether the system works in practice. Stage 1 findings are your last cheap warning before the audit that determines certification.
How much of the work falls on our team?
Less than you'd fear, more than zero. We write the documentation and design the system, but your people have to describe how the operation actually runs and take ownership of the routines. A system built entirely without your team fails its first surveillance audit.
Do you use templates?
We start from proven structures rather than a blank page, then rewrite them around your operation. What we don't do is hand over a generic pack and call it a system — an auditor walks the floor, compares it to the procedure, and writes a finding.
What happens if we fail the audit?
You don't usually fail outright. You receive nonconformities and a window to close them, with the certification body assigning follow-up time to verify your corrective actions. Majors are the serious category. This is the argument for a full internal audit cycle first: findings you close yourself cost time, findings the auditor writes cost time and audit fees.
Can you run our internal audits on an ongoing basis?
Yes, and several clients do exactly that. It solves the objectivity problem — in a small organization the person who understands a process well enough to audit it is usually the person running it — and it means the audit actually happens rather than slipping.
Certification bodies
Can Wilkshire Consulting certify us?
No, and no consultant can. A consultant who builds or internally audits your system cannot certify it — that separation is fundamental and it protects the value of your certificate. We prepare you; an accredited certification body certifies you.
How do we choose a certification body?
Ask whether they're authorised for every appendix in your scope, who accredits them and whether that body is an IAF MLA signatory, what your specific auditor's industry experience is, their lead times, and the full multi-year cost. Get two or three quotes against the same scope description.
Do you have a preferred certification body?
We have no preferred registrar and no exclusive arrangement with any of them. That's why our answer to “which registrar should we use” is a set of questions rather than a name.
What's the difference between accreditation and certification?
Certification is what your organization receives. Accreditation is what a certification body receives from a national accreditation body, confirming it's competent to certify others. You are certified; your registrar is accredited. A certificate from an unaccredited body is worth considerably less.
After certification
What happens after we're certified?
Surveillance audits, typically annually, confirming the system is still working, then a full recertification audit at the end of the cycle. Systems built to pass one audit rather than to run tend to unravel at the first surveillance.
Our quality manager left and took the system with them. Can you help?
Yes, this is a good share of our work. Taking over maintenance, rebuilding what's undocumented and getting you through the next surveillance audit is a normal engagement.
Can you maintain the system for us long-term?
Yes — ongoing internal auditing, management review support, document control and surveillance audit preparation. Though we'd rather build something your team can run and be there for the parts that genuinely need an outside pair of eyes.
Working with us
Who will we actually work with?
Wilkshire is deliberately small. You work with the person doing the work rather than being handed to an account manager after the sales call.
Are you listed anywhere independently?
Yes. Tony Kropinski is listed in SERI's R2 Consultant Directory. SERI's own approved wording is: “I completed the SERI R2v3 Auditor training course and advise facilities on R2v3 readiness.” SERI is explicit that the directory isn't an endorsement, and no consultant on it may claim to be “SERI-certified” or “R2 accredited.”
Where are you based, and do you travel?
Troy, Michigan. Most of our work is with US companies, and we take international engagements where the fit is right. Implementation usually runs remotely, with on-site visits for audits, training and pre-audit walkthroughs.
Can you guarantee we'll pass?
No, and nobody honest can — the certification body makes that decision independently. What we can do is make sure the requirements are met and evidenced before they arrive.
How long have you been doing this?
Since 2015, and we've taken more than 50 electronics recyclers and ITAD providers through R2 certification alongside the ISO work.
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R2v3 readiness quiz Score your facility against the areas that generate the most findings. Start → -
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ISO 9001 readiness quiz Score your QMS against the clauses auditors pursue hardest. Start →
The certification glossary covers 22 terms including nonconformity, Focus Materials and the difference between correction and corrective action.
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