Proposal to add photovoltaic panels to the R2 Standard for electronics recycling

SERI (Sustainable Electronics Recycling International) says that the R2 Technical Advisory Committee is considering a formal proposal to add photovoltaic (PV) panels to the R2 Standard.

The R2 Standard is focused on the effective recycling of electronics products. SERI anticipates incorporating PV panels into the standard would require at least two years of development, public review and comment, and revision before it would be adopted.

“The PV industry is extremely progressive,” said SERI executive director Corey Dehmey. “With much foresight, they took the initiative to create a sustainable plan for when solar panels are removed from use. There are hundreds of R2 Certified facilities in 33 countries around the world who currently do, or could relatively easily, add PV panels to their service offering. We see this as a great way to quickly build reuse and recycling infrastructure for the environmentally sound management of PV panels.”

A workgroup of 24 volunteers from the solar industry met over six months to assess the suitability of including PV panels in the current version of the R2 Standard.