When estimating your costs in certifying to the highest industry standard, there are four factors to consider:
1. e-Stewards Standard: $195 (plus tax if applicable). Purchase the Standard now and download the free supporting documents, including the mandatory Sanctioned Interpretations.
2. Internal development: Variable.
These include the costs of developing and implementing the management system in conformity to the e-Stewards Standard. If the organization is already ISO 14001 certified, the time and cost to develop the e-Stewards management system is reduced. Internal development costs may also include a pre-assessment audit, conducted by the certification body or another third party. Audit time and cost are variable for pre-assessments.
3. Initiation fee, plus annual marketing and license fees: Variable
Initiation fees are determined on a sliding scale by annual revenues coming from e-recycling activities from all your company’s contracted sites. All new e-Stewards recyclers pay a one-time Initiation Fee at 50% the annual marketing and licensing fee (not to exceed $10,000) upon execution of a contract with a certifying body. Fees cover sales and marketing support to certified e-Stewards recyclers. The marketing and licensing agreement is available by contacting info@e-stewards.org.
4. On-site audit and certification: Variable
These costs are largely governed by international rules for certification bodies and are related to the number of “auditor-days” required to conduct the audit. The number of auditor-days is mainly determined by:
- the number of employees working for the recycler
- the number of sites to be certified
- whether an ISO 14001 certified system is already in place
The best way to get an accurate estimation of costs is to speak directly with the e-Stewards accredited certification bodies themselves. Contact the Certifying Bodies for estimates.