We'll put our cards on the table at the top, because it's the only reason this page is worth your time: SF IT Recovery does not currently hold R2v3, e-Stewards or NAID AAA certification. If your policy requires one, hire a company that has it. Here's what each actually covers, so you can tell whether you need it.
Administered by SERI. Audits what happens to equipment and material through the whole chain — reuse before recycling, control of downstream vendors, environmental and worker health requirements, and data sanitisation among many other things. The most widely requested certification in the industry.
Administered by the Basel Action Network, covering comparable ground to R2v3 but with a notably stricter position on exporting hazardous electronic waste to developing countries. Also requires an environmental management system.
Administered by i-SIGMA. Focused specifically on the destruction of data — the process, the facility, employee screening, and crucially unannounced audits rather than scheduled ones. Covers physical media and paper.
General management-system standards for environmental management and information security respectively. Often held alongside the industry-specific schemes rather than instead of them.
| R2v3 | e-Stewards | NAID AAA | NIST 800-88 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is it audited? | Yes | Yes | Yes, unannounced | No — a guideline |
| Covers data destruction | Yes, among much else | Yes, among much else | Yes, specifically | Yes, specifically |
| Covers where material ends up | Yes | Yes, strictest on export | No | No |
| Covers downstream vendors | Yes | Yes | Partly | No |
| Anyone can claim it | No | No | No | Yes, and they do |
| Do we hold it? | No | No | No | We follow it |
Certification at this level is a facility-wide undertaking. Published estimates for achieving R2v3 or e-Stewards run from roughly fifteen to seventy-five thousand dollars once the standards, audits, management systems and consultancy are counted, plus recurring annual cost. It is a serious commitment and we have not made it yet.
What we do instead is specific and checkable: every drive is sanitised to NIST SP 800-88 or physically destroyed, verified, and recorded by serial number on a certificate you keep. We'll shred drives at your office while your people watch if the data shouldn't leave your building. You can ask us for a sample certificate before you commit to anything, and you should ask the same of anyone else you're considering.
What we won't do is imply a certification we don't hold. If you see “certified” used loosely on a disposal company's website, ask which scheme, which certifying body, and for the certificate number. A certified company will send it over without hesitating, because it cost them a fortune and they're pleased to show it.
Both certify responsible electronics recycling and reuse, covering environmental practices, worker safety, downstream vendor control and data security. The main practical difference is export: e-Stewards takes a stricter position against exporting hazardous electronic waste to developing countries, while R2v3 permits export under documented and controlled conditions. R2v3 is more widely held; e-Stewards is often chosen where an organisation's environmental commitments specifically rule out export.
No, they cover different things. NAID AAA, administered by i-SIGMA, certifies the data destruction process specifically, including facility security, employee screening and unannounced audits. R2v3 certifies responsible recycling and reuse across the whole material chain, with data security as one component among many. Some companies hold both because they answer different questions.
It depends on your obligations. If a contract, a procurement policy or a regulator names a certification, then yes and the choice is made for you. If not, what usually matters more is whether the vendor can show per-drive documentation, explain their sanitisation method, and provide a certificate listing serial numbers. Certification raises the floor on assurance; it is not the only way to get a defensible outcome, but it is the only way to get an independently audited one.
No. SF IT Recovery does not currently hold R2v3, e-Stewards or NAID AAA certification. Drives are sanitised to the NIST SP 800-88 guidelines or physically destroyed, verified, and documented per drive by serial number, with on-site shredding available across South Florida. If your policy or contract requires a certified processor by name, you should use a company that holds that certification.
Published estimates from consultancies and certified processors generally range from about $15,000 to $75,000 to achieve, covering the SERI licence, the required ISO management system standards, audit fees and any consultancy, with recurring annual costs after that. Figures vary widely by facility size and complexity, and most of the published numbers come from vendors selling related services, so treat them as indicative.
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