Nonprofit to Be Honored at the Fourth Annual International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo
Rockville, MD — Goodwill Industries International, an environmental pioneer and social innovator of the “reduce, reuse, repurpose” practice, has been awarded the 2012 Sustainability Leadership Award from the International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo (IERCE). The award recognizes the organization’s efforts to divert more than 150 million pounds of electronic equipment from landfills in 2011. Goodwill® is the first nonprofit to be honored with the distinction.
IERCE is a networking and learning platform for stakeholders in the e-waste management industry, which meets annually in May. The fourth annual conference and expo in Las Vegas will be held on May 29-31 and is expected to attract more than 600 executives representing approximately 400 businesses from more than 20 countries.
“For more than a century, Goodwill has made a commitment to social innovation and sustainability,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “As the world changed and technology became a part of our daily lives, it was natural for Goodwill to step up and make a greater commitment to e-waste management. We’re honored that IERCE has recognized our efforts.”
Goodwill partners with corporations, county and city governments, and other organizations on its sustainability efforts, including e-waste recycling. These partnerships create job training opportunities as well as entry-level and green jobs for people in need of work. The largest of the programs is the Dell Reconnect partnership, and more than 70 percent of Goodwill’s member agencies in the United States and Canada are involved. Since the partnership with Dell began in 2004, more than 232 million pounds of electronic equipment have been responsibly recycled through Goodwill.
“We’re pleased to recognize Goodwill for its efforts to protect the planet while carrying out its very important mission of providing job training and career services to people with disabilities and other workplace disadvantages,” said Ismail Oyekan, publisher, Electronic Waste Journal, and IERCE program director. “The organization is a leader in responsible e-waste management and sets the bar for other nonprofits.”
Previous honorees include Sprint, Cisco and Samsung. Michael Meyer, vice president of business development and strategic sourcing for Goodwill Industries International, will accept the award at the expo.
