About CESA

The BC Recycling Regulation mandates industry to have a recycling program for certain types of products. Industry develops and manages the program and the provincial government approves and oversees the program.

The Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association (CESA) was formed to manage a program that covers small appliances in British Columbia, which launched on October 1, 2011. CESA is a not-for-profit Product Stewardship Agency incorporated by the manufacturers/brand owners and retailers of small appliances who are members of the Canadian Association of Appliance Manufacturers (CAMA), the Canadian Hardware and Housewares Manufacturers Association (CHHMA), the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) and the Retail Council of Canada (RCC).

The CESA program will be expanded as of July 1, 2012 to cover some of the additional product categories outlined in “phase 5” of the electric products schedule of the BC Recycling Regulation, including:

  • Power tools
  • Sewing machines, knitting machines and other textile processing machines
  • Sports, leisure and exercise equipment (electrical)
  • Arts, crafts and hobby devices

CESA is governed by a Board of Directors represented by eight individuals, five of whom are representatives of manufacturers/brand owners of small appliances and three of whom are representatives of retailers of small appliances.

CESA's purpose is to assist manufacturers, brand owners and other legally obligated parties (e.g. retailers, importers or distributors) in discharging their obligation to establish end-of-life product collection and recycling programs under applicable provincial extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation.

CESA assists obligated companies by providing them the opportunity to become a member in an industry governed and operated recycling program that will fulfill their legal obligations under provincial EPR laws.

As British Columbia is the first Canadian province to regulate a legal requirement for an end-of-life recycling program for products such as small appliances, power tools, sewing machines and exercise equipment, CESA's current focus is on implementing a program plan for that province.