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CentricsIT is ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and R2 certified. You’ve probably seen these before in passing or heard them thrown around in industry conversations, but do you know the investment that they represent or what they mean for your company? They are not the names of droids in the new Star Wars movies, but they do have a lot to do with intelligent technology and its proper disposal. And each takes constant work to stay in compliance with. Here are the details.
ISO Quality Certifications
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-profit, national collective that develops and publishes global, industrial, and commercial standards. Although headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the ISO has representatives in 162 different countries and is considered to be the largest standardization authority in the world.
According to ISO, ISO 9001 “sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is the only standard in the family that can be certified to (although this is not a requirement).” This standardization is based on quality management principles such as customer focus, motivation and implication of top management, and continual improvement. In short, ISO 9001 acts as a benchmark for companies’ operating procedures.
ISO 14001, on the other hand, encompasses environmental responsibilities. The ISO uses audits, communications, labelling and life cycle analysis, and environmental challenges to verify the effectiveness of a company’s recycling methods. This certification ensures that companies (and their downstream partners) follow stringent quality control guidelines and are committed to limiting their environmental impacts.
OHSAS Quality Certifications
The Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series is an international association of national standards, certification, and accreditation bodies. OHSAS standardizations are applied to health and safety institutes, industry associations, consulting organizations, and Government agencies to foster the best possible working conditions through health and safety improvements.
More specifically, OHSAS 18001 provides “requirements for occupational health and safety management best practice” and delineates to companies “how to identify hazards and put in place the correct controls to manage them.” By becoming OHSAS certified, companies prioritize the welfare of their staff members while at the same time improving overall performance metrics.
R2 Quality Certification
R2 (Responsible Recycling) ultimately “owes its existence to a collaborative partnership between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.” The US Environmental Protection Agency recognized the need for comprehensive E-waste recycling standardization throughout the tech industry and convened a multi-stakeholder process to “create a market-based mechanism for ensuring best practices.”
The most recent Standard, R2:2013 establishes the necessary guidelines for proper E-waste handling, storage, and disposal. The R2 recycling certification covers the proper management of environmental and OH&S issues, proper selection and management of downstream vendors, use of generally-accepted data destruction practices, and safe storage practices. To achieve this certification, a company must also be certified with OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001. Through becoming R2 certified, companies reduce their overall environmental impact while simultaneously improving health and safety procedures for their workers.
Why Do ISO Certifications Matter?
So we’ve defined the certifications, but why are they important to your company?
At CentricsIT, we have put in the time and effort to certify our processes with all the certifications listed above. Vice President of Operations at CentricsIT, Pete Bohman, led the pursuit of these certificates because he believes that they further support the company’s foundational goal: “We are going to provide you the highest quality products and services, and we are dedicated to staying within the bounds of the certifications. We follow these guidelines to the letter and make sure our customers get the best that we have to offer.”
Bohman says that the processes ensure not only the quality of CentricsIT services and products, but it also holds partners and supply chain vendors to the same standards. “Any organization with these certs obviously had to go through rigorous effort to meet and exceed these certification standards,” says Bohman, “so our customers know that they are receiving highly vetted stock and that they will meet requirements within their industries.” At CentricsIT we’re proud of the assurances that we can offer our clients because of the third-party verification that these certifications require.
The CentricsIT facility located at 3140 Northwoods Parkway, Suite 500, Norcross, GA has been independently audited and confirmed as being in conformity with ISO 14001:2015, Responsible Recycling© (R2) Rev. 7/2013 and ISO 45001:2018, in respect to the scope of data destruction, audit resale and recycle. Additionally, the CentricsIT office located in Suite 700 of the same address is ISO 9001:2015 certified, in respect to IT hardware reselling services, hardware rentals and services that include hardware maintenance, hardware installations and data center moves.
These certifications are not just notches in a corporate belt; they quite literally hold CentricsIT, as a company, to higher standards internally.
ISO’s ensure that both supplier and client are doing business in an upright manner and with credible sources only. This also ensures effective accountability when it comes to recycling protocols. ISO 14001 and R2 specifically track equipment throughout the entire downstream lifecycle, ensuring that we account for the entire chain of value from use to reuse to eventual recycling. Because of our desire for sustainable business practices and dedication to R2 standards, CentricsIT is a “zero landfill” corporation.
Dedicated for the Long Run
In short, a company with the above certifications is one that is dedicated to making ethical decisions, both for its customers, its staff members, and for the environment. It’s not just about hugging trees; it’s about making smart long-term business decisions on issues that affect all of us. And bear in mind that these certifications are not a one-time investment. They require constant work. Companies that wish to stay ISO, OHSAS, and R2 certified and compliant with industry standards must ensure year-round product quality and environmental accountability. CentricsIT proudly welcomes increased accountability and rises to the challenge of exceeding industry standards so that our customers can succeed too.
Have requirements of your own? Contact one of our specialists to learn about how our certifications can help you reach your operational IT goals.
