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R2v3 on ISO 14001 & ISO 45001

How R2v3 fits with ISO management systems — Paradygm’s preferred path for electronics recyclers and ITAD.

Guaranteed Certification within the first attempt

These answers focus on how R2v3 sits on a certified management system—especially ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 (and ISO 9001 where needed). Not official SERI interpretations; your certification body has the final say at audit.

  • SERI Approved Consultant
  • 100% R2 track record
  • R2v3 + ISO preferred

What R2v3 is

R2v3 is the current and only active version of R2, the electronics reuse and recycling industry’s leading certification. SERI is the housing body and ANSI-accredited Standards Development Organization for the R2 Standard. Being R2 Certified means an accredited certification body has audited your facility against that standard. Paradygm is a SERI Approved Consultant: we prepare your management system, documents, training, and internal audit so you are ready when the certification body arrives — we do not issue the R2 certificate.

R2v3 applies across the used-electronics chain: ITAD and reverse logistics, refurbishers and resellers, recyclers and materials recovery, collectors and shredders. Application of R2 requirements begins after a product’s first use.

Why R2v3 on ISO 14001 & ISO 45001

R2v3 requires a certified environmental, health and safety (EH&S) management system. Paradygm’s approach is always the globally recognized ISO standards:

  • ISO 14001 + ISO 45001 (preferred EH&S foundation)Recognized worldwide and across industries — not only recycling. R2v3 built into one integrated system on these standards.
  • ISO 9001 where neededA certified quality management system is required when your R2 scope includes test and repair (Appendix C) or brokering (Appendix F).
  • What you typically earn on the ISO pathISO 9001 (when in scope), ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and R2v3 certificates — one integrated system instead of competing programs.
  • Internal audits and EH&S still applyUnder the chosen management system, internal audits and EH&S requirements remain part of readiness before the certification audit.

SERI also accepts RIOS as an EH&S management-system option. Paradygm treats RIOS as secondary — only when contracts specifically require it. We do not promote e-Stewards as a default path.

R2 + ISO path overview

High-level coaching path — not an implementation playbook. Scope and appendices depend on the work you actually do at each facility.

  1. Scope and gap assessmentConfirm which R2v3 Core and Process Requirements apply, and where you stand today.
  2. Management system and documentationR2v3 built into one system on ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, plus ISO 9001 if you test and repair or broker.
  3. Internal audit and management reviewIndependent internal audit of your R2 program and ISO-based systems before the certification audit, with clear feedback for top management.
  4. Certification auditA SERI-approved certification body audits the facility and issues the certificate; Paradygm supports readiness and corrective actions — we do not issue the certificate.

R2 is site-specific: a certificate covers one facility address. Multi-site operators plan readiness per location.

R2v3 Core requirements

All R2 Certified facilities must meet the ten Core requirements. Brief consulting-level summaries below — not a substitute for the R2 Standard text or your certification body’s findings.

  • Core 1 — ScopeIdentify every used-electronics process, stream, and activity under your control so the certificate accurately reflects what was audited — including applicable Process Requirements.
  • Core 2 — Hierarchy of Responsible Management StrategiesWritten reuse-first policy: evaluate for reuse whenever feasible, then materials recovery — and apply that hierarchy on-site and when selecting downstream vendors.
  • Core 3 — EH&S Management SystemMaintain a certified environmental, health and safety management system as the framework for R2 controls (Paradygm’s preferred path: ISO 14001 and ISO 45001).
  • Core 4 — Legal and Other RequirementsPlan to identify, monitor, and demonstrate applicable legal and customer requirements — including import/export legality — and address fair, ethical treatment of workers.
  • Core 5 — Tracking ThroughputTrack inbound, in-process, and outbound equipment and material streams with records that show how streams change through processing; negative-value streams are not stored indefinitely.
  • Core 6 — Sorting, Categorization, and ProcessingCategorize equipment, components, and materials (including data-bearing and R2 Controlled Streams) and direct each stream to the correct next R2 processing path using the reuse-first hierarchy.
  • Core 7 — Data SecuritySecure data-containing devices from receipt onward and sanitize data through approved physical destruction under Core 7, or enhanced logical/physical methods under Appendix B (on-site or via a qualified downstream vendor).
  • Core 8 — Focus MaterialsIdentify and manage Focus Materials (higher-risk streams such as circuit boards, mercury, batteries, CRT glass, and PCBs) with an FM management plan and verified downstream handling. See the R2 focus materials list.
  • Core 9 — Facility RequirementsKeep processing and storage safe and legally compliant — site risk evaluation, adequate insurance, and closure planning if operations cease unexpectedly.
  • Core 10 — TransportShip and receive items safely, securely, and legally: protect reusable goods, control Focus Materials and data-bearing items, use proper documentation, and qualify transporters.

R2v3 Appendices (Process Requirements)

Appendices A–G add Process Requirements only when your facility performs that work. If you do the activity, it must be in scope and on the certificate. High-level guidance only — not an implementation playbook.

  • Appendix A — Downstream Recycling Chain Qualify and manage downstream vendors that receive R2 Controlled Streams until final disposition (or the first verified R2v3 vendor, per program rules). Typically applies to: collectors, dismantlers, ITAD, test-and-repair, and most facilities that are not the final process in the recycling chain (e.g. not a final smelter).
  • Appendix B — Data Sanitization Enhanced logical data sanitization and/or enhanced physical sanitization with stronger tracking, verification, security, and quality controls beyond basic Core 7 physical destruction. Typically applies to: ITAD providers, mobile repair/refurbishers, and facilities offering certified wipe or enhanced physical sanitization services.
  • Appendix C — Test and Repair Requirements for testing, repair, and refurbishment — including verified functionality levels, reuse planning, quality controls, and a certified quality management system (ISO 9001 preferred; RIOS only when contracts require it). Typically applies to: refurbishers, resellers, and ITAD operations that test or repair devices/components for reuse (not simple visual/power-on screens alone).
  • Appendix D — Specialty Electronics Reuse Structured verification for commercial/industrial specialty electronics when full functional testing is not feasible; used together with Appendix C. Typically applies to: specialists in telecom/network gear, medical devices, lab equipment, and similar non-consumer specialty electronics.
  • Appendix E — Materials Recovery Additional EH&S controls for dismantling and materials-recovery processes that break down equipment or further refine recovered streams. Typically applies to: scrap yards, shredders, dismantlers recovering commodities, and facilities refining streams such as circuit boards for materials recovery.
  • Appendix F — Brokering Controls for sourcing used electronics or materials and directing delivery from supplier to downstream vendor without physically receiving or processing the goods at your facility. Typically applies to: brokers, trading desks, and collection/EPR schemes that arrange direct supplier-to-vendor transfers (alone or alongside on-site processing).
  • Appendix G — Photovoltaic (PV) Modules Requirements for safe handling, storage, evaluation, testing/repair, transfer, or brokering of PV modules (solar panels). Typically applies to: any R2 facility that takes control of solar panels — including receipt, processing, storage, transport, or brokered PV transactions.

Which appendices you need depends on the work each site actually performs. Paradygm helps map Core + Appendix scope during gap assessment — without inventing processes you do not run.

R2 vs e-Stewards / RIOS (educational)

R2v3 and e-Stewards are the two main certification standards for electronics reuse, recycling, and ITAD. RIOS is a recycling-industry management system (quality, environmental, and health & safety) — not a third electronics certification standard beside R2 and e-Stewards.

  • Preferred: R2v3 with ISO 14001 / ISO 45001 (and ISO 9001 where needed), because those ISO certificates count with customers in every industry, not just recycling.
  • RIOS: secondary management-system option when contracts specifically call for it — not our default alongside R2v3.
  • e-Stewards: we do not promote it as a default path; choose based on customer contracts and geography.

Full comparison framing: R2 + ISO vs e-Stewards and RIOS.

R2 in Canada

No single federal law requires every Canadian electronics recycler to be R2 certified. In practice, R2 is often a condition of doing business through EPRA programs, provincial producer-responsibility rules (for example Ontario), and enterprise, government, and ITAD customer contracts for data-bearing devices. Canadian facilities choose any SERI-approved certification body; a consultant prepares the system and audit readiness but cannot issue the certificate.

More detail: R2v3 certification in Canada.

Multi-standard consulting & WISE

Many facilities need more than R2 alone. Paradygm coaches multi-standard programs so ISO and R2 requirements reinforce each other — including environmental, health & safety, quality, and related specialty standards already covered on our Solutions hub.

For wireless device repair and related reseller programs, Paradygm also offers WISE Certification consulting for new clients (WISE Authorized Service Centers / related programs). WISE and R2 address different markets; R2v3 is not a WISE prerequisite, and facilities that recycle scrap often still need an R2 (or equivalent) path for downstream materials.

Who it’s for

ITAD operators, electronics recyclers, refurbishers, collectors, and related facilities implementing or maintaining R2v3 alongside ISO management systems in Canada and the United States — especially teams that want the globally recognized ISO + R2v3 route rather than a recycling-only management system.

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