The funding to create this robust certification program was provided by 14 recycling companies designated as e-Steward Founders. The e-Steward Founders are Boliden AB, California Electronic Asset Recovery, Cascade Asset Management, ECS Refining, Electronic Recyclers International, GreenCitizen, Hesstech, Metech, Redemtech, RELectronics, the Surplus Exchange, Total Reclaim, Waste Management Recycle America and WeRecycle!. "Currently, the truly responsible recyclers in the US and Canada face unfair competition from the thousands of unethical, so-called 'waste recyclers' in North America that would more accurately be called 'waste shippers,'" said Neil Peters-Michaud of e-Steward Founder, Cascade Asset Management. "We strongly support a certified, audited program to separate the legitimate recyclers from the low-road operators.