A Certificate of Destruction Gives You Peace of Mind

A Certificate of Destruction (CoD) is a document that covers the disposal of a piece of equipment or confidential material. It’s seen across industries, whether a company is getting rid of old paper files, hard drives, or other equipment. 

For warehouses, these documents may be issued for: 

• Machinery and heavy equipment
• Metals
• Inventory
• Raw material 
• Computing and inventory management equipment

It’s important to understand the final disposition of this equipment—even if it’s outdated—because it could be used to reverse engineer your processes. Competitors could examine the equipment to identify weaknesses in your products or services and exploit them. In some cases, you might not even be aware of the levels of information you’ve left behind in the outdated machines and programs. 

The Certificate of Destruction can vary, as it’s a document that’s created by the company providing the clean-up services. Some companies will focus on the bare bones of the project, while others will provide a detailed list of information. The CoD will often include: 

• Address: This will include the client’s address and the location of the collection. 
• Date of service: This may be a single date, range, or date of completion, depending on the size of the job.
• Manifest: This includes the path the property took to reach its final destination as well as a detailed inventory listing. 
• Method: This covers the disposal method, and it may include several different components. 

Every CoD is different, but they all serve multiple purposes. Certificates of Destruction assure shop owners that their confidential information is secure, and they provide a traceable path or chain-of-custody for forensic searches. They also may be required for regulatory compliance.