R2v3's 10 Core Requirements

R2v3 certification isn’t one single rule — it’s a structure. Every certified facility, no matter what it does, meets the same 10 core requirements. Then, depending on the facility’s actual activities, additional process appendices attach on top — covering things like data sanitization, test and repair, and materials recovery.

Here are the 10 core requirements, in plain language. (This is our educational summary, not SERI’s official interpretation of the standard.)

1. Scope. The facility defines exactly what the certification covers — which equipment, materials, and activities. No vague edges.
2. Hierarchy of responsible management strategies. Reuse comes before recycling, and recycling comes before disposal. Working equipment gets a second life whenever possible.
3. Environmental, health & safety management system. The facility operates under a certified EHS management system — the disciplined, audited framework for running safe, environmentally sound operations. (This is the role RIOS fills for us.)
4. Legal and other requirements. Comply with every applicable law — environmental, employment, data security, transport — in every jurisdiction where the facility operates.
5. Tracking throughput. Everything that arrives, moves through, and leaves the facility gets tracked and documented. If it can’t be accounted for, that’s a problem.
6. Sorting, categorization, and processing. Incoming equipment is evaluated, sorted, and categorized properly — including consistent grading of anything destined for reuse.
7. Data security. Data on devices is protected at every stage, and sanitization follows recognized standards with verifiable records.
8. Focus materials. The risky stuff — batteries, circuit boards, mercury-containing devices, CRT glass, and the like — gets special handling, tracking, and approved downstream destinations.
9. Facility requirements. The site itself has to measure up: secure storage, proper handling areas, closure plans, and the financial backing to shut down responsibly if it ever came to that.
10. Transport. Equipment and materials move safely and legally — packed appropriately, with data protected and documentation in order.

The appendices we certify to

Our certification scope covers three of the appendices:

• Appendix A — Downstream Recycling Chain. We’re accountable for the vendors who receive material from us — they’re vetted, documented, and re-verified on a regular cycle. (More on this in Thursday’s post: Why the Downstream Chain Matters.)
• Appendix B — Data Sanitization. The rules behind our wiping and destruction work — covering both logical data erasure (like our NIST 800-88 wipes) and physical destruction, with documented processes and verification.
• Appendix C — Test and Repair. The rules for refurbishing: test equipment properly, grade it consistently, and keep the records. It’s what makes reused equipment trustworthy for the next owner.

R2v3 Certified — a registered certification mark of SERI.

What this means for you

When a recycler says they’re R2v3 certified, these 10 requirements are the floor — the non-negotiables every certified facility meets, verified by independent auditors. The appendices then add the specifics for what that facility actually does: wiping drives, refurbishing equipment, recovering materials, managing downstream vendors.

It’s a lot of structure. That’s the point. Schedule a free pickup and your equipment enters a system that’s tracked, audited, and accountable at every step.