The Recycling Industry Operating Standard™ (RIOS™) is an integrated Quality, Environmental, Health and Safety Management System that is designed for recyclers, by recyclers. RIOS is built on the well-established Plan-Do-Check-Act model, and takes a risk based approach to addressing all QEHS risks and impacts within a recycling facility. RIOS is designed for companies to obtain third-party certification through an ANAB-accredited certification body, which gives the facility the ability to market their facility as RIOS certified. For companies that are interested in the business benefits that come with the management system approach to addressing QEHS compliance, RIOS also offers a non-certified management track membership type.

Adopting a management system is an investment for a recycling facility. Like a new, more efficient shredder, a properly implemented RIOS management system will make a facility a more efficient operator, a more environmentally sound company, and improve health and safety. All of these things will lower the bottom line, decrease risk, and ultimately increase profits. It is not an easy process, and it does not happen overnight, but the management system approach has been adopted by companies of all sizes, across all industries because of its effectiveness.

History

Originally called SCRAP3, RIOS was developed for recyclers by recyclers, and its roots go back as far as 2002. Since that time the standard has been adopted by hundreds of facilities in countries all over the globe. Below is a brief timeline of the history of RIOS.

SCRAP3 is proposed to ISRI’s Operations Committee in July 2002 as a new recycler-specific certification program

The newly created SCRAP3 Task Force decides to create ‎a QEH&S standard written in plain English for recyclers

After a contest seeking a new name for the program, SCRAP3 is renamed RIOS The first version of RIOS is published in 2005

The First RIOS Train the Trainer ‎Training and beta RIOS Implementation Guide takes place in 2006

RIOS ran pilot programs in 2007 and 2008 to assist facilities of various sizes in the certification process

RIOS Certification Program was accredited by ANAB in 2009

The first RIOS and R2/RIOS facilities obtained certification in 2009

RIOS hired its first full-time staff member in 2013

The process of rewriting the original version of the standard began in 2014, and RIOS:2016 was published in November of 2016

The first facility was certified to RIOS:2016 in 2017

In 2021 RIOS signed a partnership agreement with SERI to offer RIOS at the Affiliate rate, a 50% discount