Auditor for Swico Recycling

The new auditor for Swico Recycling partners is dss+. The aim and purpose of the collaboration remain unchanged: to ensure legal and standard-compliant and environmentally friendly recycling of waste electrical and electronic devices in Switzerland.

Conformity assessment agency for Swico Recycling partners

Swico Recycling’s nine direct contract partners are audited annually, while the 117 dismantling companies they engage are audited every two years (as at 31/12/2023). The companies that further process the recycled materials (fractions) are assessed based on their environmental impact every three to six years.

Since 2017, the audits have been carried out based on the Swiss standard SN EN 50625. To guarantee the most consistent auditing possible, a comprehensive manual for auditing as per the SN EN 50625 series has existed since 2018.

In 2008, individual cantons recognised auditing by the agencies engaged by Swico and SENS eRecycling as delegated enforcement under the Swiss Ordinance on Returning, Taking Back and Disposing of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ORDEE). At present, these cantons are Aargau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Zurich, Zug and Lucerne.

About dss+

dss+ supports companies and institutions in developing organisational and human skills, managing risks, improving processes, achieving sustainability goals and operating more responsibly. dss+ has been leading the independent inspection body for the Swiss Plastic Recycler Association’s licensing system for the collection of mixed household plastics since 2020.

The dss+ team handles several tasks at once within the Swico Recycling team. They are responsible for the annual accounting of materials and substances at the recycling partners. In addition, they calculate recycling and recovery rates through batch tests. Their duties also include coordination with various organisations. These include SENS eRecycling, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOE) and, on the European level, technical committees of the WEEE Forum. dss+ also promotes the development of the Swico Recycling system through research activities.

The audit team

The dss+ audit team consists of the following:

• Esther Thiébaud, Dr.-Ing. in Umweltingenieurswissenschaften TU Clausthal
• Arthur Haarman, MSc Industrial Ecology TU Delft / University Leiden
• Andreas Bill, MSc in Energy Management & Sustainability (EPFL)

The dismantling companies are handled by three external auditors from the Empa-commissioned companies Carbotech AG and Abeco Sàrl:

• Anahide Bondolfi, MSc in Environmental Sciences (University of Lausanne) (Abeco Sàrl)
• Flora Conte, MSc in Environmental Sciences (ETH) (Carbotech AG)
• Stefanie Conrad, MSc in Environmental Sciences (ETH) (Carbotech AG)