ISO 9001 and ISO 14001: what these renewed certifications mean for your ITAD partner

What is ISO

ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization, an independent, non-governmental organisation headquartered in Geneva. Since its founding in 1947, ISO has brought together experts from around the world to develop international standards: agreements on how a product, service or process is carried out reliably and verifiably.

ISO itself does not certify companies. The organisation develops the standard; an independent, accredited certification body then assesses whether a company meets it in practice. That assessment takes place through an external audit.

ISO has since developed thousands of standards, covering a wide range of sectors, from food safety to information security. Several standards are relevant to Brainscape, including ISO 9001 for quality management and ISO 14001 for environmental management.

Who is this relevant for, and why

This certification is primarily of interest to those within an organisation responsible for sustainability, procurement, IT or compliance, who need to be able to demonstrate how decommissioned equipment is processed.

An increasing number of tenders and procurement conditions explicitly require an ISO 14001-certified partner, particularly for public contracts and larger B2B projects. This is also relevant for ESG reporting and internal compliance: when an auditor or shareholder asks how the processing of decommissioned equipment is safeguarded, an externally audited quality and environmental management system is one of the strongest answers your organisation can give.

What exactly are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001

ISO 9001 is the standard for quality management. It sets requirements for how an organisation controls, monitors and systematically improves its processes, with the aim of consistently delivering what has been agreed to customers.
ISO 14001 is the standard for environmental management. It sets requirements for how an organisation identifies, controls and reduces its impact on the environment, following the plan-do-check-act cycle.

Both standards are built on the same European core structure (the High Level Structure). As a result, quality and environmental management come together at Brainscape in one integrated system, rather than as two separate processes.

What does the audit assess

DNV Business Assurance, an RvA-accredited certification body, carried out an independent audit at Brainscape and assessed whether its processes meet both standards.

The certificate is valid for the collection, sorting and sale or processing of used ink and toner cartridges, used GSMs, laptops and tablets, and other used electrical and electronic ICT equipment. That is exactly Brainscape's core activity: every processing step falls under the same certified system.
The renewed certification took effect on 1 October 2025 and runs until 30 September 2028. Certificate numbers: 10000289583-MSC-RvA-BEL (ISO 9001) and 10000289582-MSC-RvA-BEL (ISO 14001).

What if your partner is not certified

• Organisations working with a non-certified processor face a number of concrete risks:
• Lack of demonstrability: you cannot substantiate that the processing of your equipment follows a recognised standard, which becomes difficult during audits, tenders or shareholder enquiries.
• No independent oversight: without an external audit, you rely on the processor's own assessment, without verification by an accredited body.
• Limited assurance of continuous improvement: ISO standards require an organisation to systematically evaluate and adjust its processes.

Brainscape: quality and environmental care as a permanent part of the process

At Brainscape, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 form part of the same integrated system as its other certifications, including WEEELabex. Collection, sorting, processing and reporting follow documented and externally audited procedures.

Want to know more about our certifications or what this means for your organisation? Take a look at our certifications page.