Friday, August 20, 2010

Corporate Social Responsibility

Definition

"Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept whereby organisations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organisations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large."

EOL has made a strong and on-going commitment to meet the above criteria and to ensure that its clients also meet the exacting standards that must be met in the responsible disposal of IT and general office electrical equipment and data erasure. To assist our clients we steer them through the relevant legislation, including WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) Directive, Data Protection Act, Hazardous Waste Act and other EU legislation.

EOL operates a zero landfill policy and our aim is to reuse 90% of all IT equipment collected, the remaining 10% goes to our waste management partners for further refinement. We understand the issues and responsibilities placed on us by the Landfill Regulation Act, so we ensure that all our partners are processing our waste correctly. We use our internal audits and BS EN ISO 14001 Environmental Standard to maintain awareness and monitor any risks in the process.
Environment Agency On-Going Audit

EOL is one of the largest independent IT recyclers in the UK and we are regularly audited by the Environment Agency (EA) who monitor our systems and compliance. Our high level of competence is so well considered by the EA that they have used EOL as a case study because of our positive environmental efforts and impact, the good work we carry out in the community and for the investment we put into training our staff.
Compliance

Our processing structure is reassuring to all our clients. They have the knowledge and confidence that we are fully compliant with legislation and continue to be a trusted and responsible organisation. Our supplier audits run hand in hand with our own Quality Management Standard as part of our BS EN ISO 9001 (GB 9542) accreditation and Environmental Management Standard BS EN ISO 14001 (GB 9541). We are also registered under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Data & Identification Security

The protection of our clients' data and identification is paramount and we believe that it is of the utmost importance that our procedure and insurances reflect this.

We ensure that all existing data and forms of identification are fully erased from hard disks, storage media and hardware using documented, quality controlled processes that exceed the highest security standards, including Infosec 5 and international defence standards.

We use exacting, quality-controlled, fully documented procedures to ensure 100% erasure of your data and identification. Below is an example of our processes relating to data & identification erasure:

    An Infosec standard wipe of the hard drive is carried out using Blancco Software via the LAN connection.
    When successful, a "Hard Drive Sanitised" label is attached to the item and a software generated certificate produced as confirmation of erasure. The Engineer enters their name and date within the Data Erasure field as part of our internal recording and audit process.
    Once wiped, tested and asset recorded any complete PC units for re-sale are then passed to our Equipment Preparation Department where all signs of previous ownership are removed or disguised.
    If the drive fails to wipe, it is removed from the PC Department and securely transferred to our Parts Department.
    Here it is connected to a US DoD 5220.22-M approved WipeMaster Wiping Rig where a second attempt to wipe the drive is carried out.
    If this fails to remove the data, then entire hard drive is degaussed to the same Infosec standards.
    All degaussed drives are securely transported to our specialist metals recycling partner, using EOL transport and personnel, where they are ground down to their final powder state.

EOL in the Community

In its own right, EOL works with a number of local charities and educational facilities to provide IT equipment for needy causes.   In particular we work with RevITalise which is a local sheltered factory where we provide equipment and technical support.

In addition, as part of our standard disposal agreement, we are happy to facilitate a donation of 10% of a client's collection to a charitable or educational organisation of the client's choice.
Client Staff Purchase Scheme

We are able to offer contracted clients a Staff Purchase Scheme which allows their staff to purchase refubished IT equipment at an attractive discount over and above our already competitive retail prices.
EOL and its staff

EOL firmly believes in promoting from within its own organisation wherever possible and, where required, putting in to place the necessary training to the benefit of all our staff. We work closely with a local training company to enable our younger members of staff to work towards qualifications in IT, Warehousing, Business Administration and Customer Service.

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