Tech Defenders received R2v3 certification


A Grand Rapids-based technology company recently received sustainability certification.

Tech Defenders, a company specializing in the recycling and marketing of mobile electronics, recently announced that it has received the R2v3 designation for the IT asset management industry.

Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) established and oversees R2v3 certification.

The firm named Tech Defenders an R2v3 certified facility after a year of auditing its environmental, health and safety, subcontractor, legal compliance, internal information security and sanitation and quality management systems.

The certificate means that the tech defenders have demonstrated all the electronic equipment.

It is recycled following the highest standards for environmental protection, data privacy and destruction, institutional security and employee safety.

“Achieving this R2v3 certification is a big step forward in our overall goal of making technology affordable and out of landfills,” said Gary Vonmayer, CEO and co-founder of Tech Defenders. “This certification reinforces our commitment to that goal and demonstrates to our customers that we remain true to the core principles on which our business is built.”

The certification is awarded in collaboration with electronics recycling stakeholders, including SERI.

Along with R2v3 certification, Tech Defenders has re-certified ISO 14001 for environmental management systems, ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety, and ISO 9001 for quality assurance, restoration, data sanitization, and recycling processes for used electronic equipment.

These designations include audit investigations and continuous improvement of the company’s facilities.

“Our team did an amazing job preparing for this,” said von Mihr, “and I’m very proud of how quickly we all adapted to SERI’s new regulations.”