Circular Economy Certificates

Circular Economy Certificates (CE Certificates), A New Carbon Inset Certificate for E-Waste Re-Use and Recycling

CE Certificates are a tradable environmental attribute certificate representing the carbon intensity of re-use and recycling electronic waste (e-waste) assets such as smart phones and computer hardware.

It is issued by the Bloom Registry and provides a transparent, traceable, and auditable record of the carbon reductions achieved via e-waste processing activities. The Certificates can be bought, sold, or retired as part of a company’s sustainability strategy.

There are three types of CE Certificates:

I-TEC Certificates

Represent the carbon intensity of 1 metric ton of assets refurbished. These certificates directly quantify the climate benefit of extending product lifecycles.

I-MAT Certificates

Provide proof that 1 ton of metal has been produced from recycled sources rather than from mined raw materials. This enables corporates to track and credibly claim circular sourcing within their value chains.

I-MAT AE Certificates (Materials Avoided Emissions Certificate)

Represent the avoidance of 1 metric ton of CO₂e specifically from materials recovery. This bridges the material recovery process with its climate benefit, reinforcing both environmental and supply-chain integrity.

Guidance on Issuance and
Use of CE Certificates

Eligibility for Issuance

The Certificates are issued to entities that engage in verified e-waste re-use and recycling activities.
To be eligible, e-waste assets must undergo a certified testing, refurbishment and recycling process that generates quantifiable carbon savings, or demonstrates recovery of raw materials. This could include but is not limited to processes like material recovery, energy-efficient manufacturing, or secondary use of electronic assets or components.
Entities must submit proper documentation to an approved certifying body, including proof of recycling volumes and energy savings calculated against an approved methodology.

Measurement of Carbon Savings (I-TEC and I-MAT AE):

Carbon savings are calculated using internationally recognized methodologies for carbon accounting, such as the “Estimated Avoided Emissions and Emissions Intensity From Circular Re-Use And Recycling Activities” which has been independently verified to the ISO 14064 standard.
The amount of carbon saved from the re-use and recycling process is measured against the baseline of mining for metals, critical minerals and plastics for recycling, or the replacement of a new hardware asset for re-use.

Issuance Process:

Once the carbon savings are verified by an accredited third party, the CE certificate will be issued to the recycler or processor via the Bloom Registry (http://registry.bloom-esg.com/)
Each I-TEC and I-MAT AE certificate will be tagged with key metadata, including the date of issuance, the amount of carbon savings (in CO2 equivalents), and the specific e-waste processor. I-MAT certificates will include the proof of recovered materials information.

Retirement and Trading of CE Certificates:

Retirement: Once an CE Certificate is purchased or claimed, it can be retired, meaning it is removed from the market, ensuring the carbon savings cannot be double-counted.
Trading: CE Certificates can be traded on the Bloom Registry, allowing organizations to account for carbon reductions through e-waste re-use and recycling activities. Certificates may be traded by entities within corporate value chains and by comparable, adjacent value chains (aligned with Supply Shed guidance)

Reporting and Transparency:

Entities holding or retiring CE Certificates must ensure that their usage is transparently reported, ensuring there is no double-counting or misrepresentation of carbon savings.
The Bloom Registry will maintain a publicly accessible registry of issued and retired I-TEC certificates.

Explanation of I-TEC Certificate

The I-TEC Environmental Attribute Certificate is modelled after the I-REC system, which tracks the environmental impact of renewable energy generation, particularly in the electricity sector.

While I-RECs focus on renewable energy certificates, the I-TEC system applies a similar framework to e-waste re-use and recycling, providing a method for companies and governments to track and certify their efforts in reducing carbon emissions by reusing and recycling electronic waste.

By introducing the I-TEC system, Bloom aims to create a standardized, global mechanism to quantify and verify carbon savings from e-waste processing.

As businesses increasingly look for ways to reduce their Scope 3 emissions and contribute to a circular economy, I-TEC provides an efficient and transparent solution that helps ensure that e-waste processing delivers verifiable environmental benefits.

Through this mechanism, e-waste ITADS and recyclers can generate an additional revenue stream by selling their carbon reduction certificates, while organizations seeking to offset their emissions can invest in genuine environmental solutions.

The I-TEC is not just a tool for tracking and reporting; it’s a key enabler of the circular economy, aligning with global climate goals and helping to mitigate the environmental impact of the ever-growing e-waste sector.