The reconditioned devices will be delivered to the CEOE Foundation collaborating social entities that request it, which will be in charge of distributing them.
The eco-innovation study inèdit, a UAB research park company, and the SEUR Foundation collaborate selflessly to account for the reduction of the carbon footprint and distribute the reconditioned devices among the NGOs.
The action drives the circular economy and is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
A broad alliance of entities joins to promote a new edition of the Sustainable Digitization campaign, which on this occasion wants to involve the business fabric of the entire State by carrying out a selective collection of electronic devices in work centers with a solidarity purpose: to reduce the digital divide to help promote universal access to technology.
The original idea came from the hypermarkets and supermarkets company Alcampo, which asked Fundación Ecotic to carry out a selective collection of computers and tablets in companies. Based on this proposal, Fundación CEOE and the main Collective Systems for Expanded Producer Responsibility (SCRAP) in the field of electronic recycling (Fundación Ecotic, Ambilamp, Ecoasimelec, Ecofimática, Fundación Ecolec, Ecolum, and ERP Spain), have decided to join forces to promote a solidarity campaign at the state level, with the collaboration of the eco-innovation study inèdit and the SEUR Foundation.
The main objective of the campaign is to give a second life to the waste of computers and tablets contributed by companies, as well as to channel the donations of new equipment that are available to make, in order to help people with difficulties in accessing the technology, and in turn reduce the generation of waste to protect the environment.
For this, the computers and tablets collected will be reconditioned and delivered to educational and training centers, to minors and people at risk of exclusion, to residences for the elderly, and to other people and groups that need them.
The CEOE Foundation frames the Sustainable Digitalization campaign within its project "Companies that help", which aims to coordinate solidarity initiatives to help face the crisis caused by Covid-19. Donations of reconditioned devices will be carried through the NGOs with which the Spanish employers' Foundation usually collaborates, which will grant participating companies that request it a certificate of donation accrediting the equipment delivered.
The president of CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, encouraged companies and freelancers to join this initiative, as it "will help advance several objectives: reduce the generation of electronic waste and its environmental impact or promote the circular economy." Up to five Sustainable Development Goals can be met with these actions, he said before emphasizing that the project is "focused on social action to reduce the digital divide."
The Collective Systems involved will make available to all companies that participate in the campaign containers for the selective collection of disused devices, which can be provided by both the business addresses themselves and their workers at a private level.
Andreu Vilà, general director of the Ecotic Foundation, has highlighted that “achieving the sustainability of the environment and the production system depends to a great extent on a real commitment on the part of the business fabric focused more on a collaborative than competitive economy, where ethical values transcend the strict business criteria, and that today are more necessary than ever ”. For this reason, he considers that “promoting initiatives such as this edition of the Sustainable Digitization campaign, and being able to do so with the support and commitment of a benchmark entity such as the CEOE Foundation, is a key element to achieve the necessary alliances that the Goals demand of Sustainable Development ”.
The SEUR Foundation will be in charge of the distribution of the reconditioned equipment among the aforementioned social entities. “The very name of Sustainable Digitization already invites us to participate in the action, since, of the two fundamental activities, technical and logistics, the second is our mission. Attention to underprivileged groups for any circumstance, mainly childhood, through the provision of solidarity-based logistics services is our goal, ”said Ramón Mayo, president of Fundación SEUR.
For its part, the eco-innovation study inèdit will put the environmental figures of the participants in the campaign. "We will be in charge of calculating the savings in the carbon footprint of the recovery and conditioning process of donated computers," said Gabriela Benveniste, Project Manager of the entity. The consulting firm will provide a document of accreditation of the study carried out, which will serve so that the Collective Systems can provide the companies that have contributed equipment to the project a document indicating the reduction of their carbon footprint based on the equipment donated by each of them.
With this action, the driving and collaborating entities want to contribute effectively to reducing the digital divide, favoring the development of the circular economy through the collection and reconditioning of devices or their proper recycling when it is not feasible, promoting access technology and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
The organizers call for all committed companies to do their bit so that the campaign reaches all corners of the state because, as they emphasize, "together we can reduce the digital divide."
Companies that wish to join Sustainable Digitization can do so through the website www.digitalysostenible.com
Shared commitment
The solidarity collection action wants to give a boost to the circular economy because, as its organizers affirm, "the best waste is that which is not generated". Reuse and recycling are two key elements for the development of a more efficient and sustainable production model, which minimizes the use of finite natural resources and has the protection of the environment as a priority, and for this it is essential to have the involvement of the companies.
“Given the difficult situation in which many citizens find themselves today, the recycling sector can and must set an example with actions like this, since this is how we can help reduce the digital divide in the most vulnerable groups. A reconditioned and well-used computer or tablet can be a window for a student to follow their telematics classes or for an elderly person to communicate with their own ”, highlighted Juan Carlos Enrique, general director of Ambilamp.
For José Pérez, CEO of Recyclia, managing entity of Ecoasimelec, Ecofimática and Ecolum, “the health and economic crisis we are going through has further evidenced and deepened the existing digital divide in our country. Hence the importance of promoting a project like this one that, in addition to helping to reduce this inequality of opportunities, allows us to face the problem posed by the proliferation of electronic waste, prioritizing its reuse and recycling ”.
Luis Moreno, CEO of Fundación Ecolec, stated that “we are very committed to all actions that imply sustainability and solidarity, and when we were offered to participate in this initiative we did not doubt it. This action is also part of the spirit of our #GreenSoul, which we launched last June to coincide with World Environment Day, with a clear intention of helping in the fight against the climate crisis and favoring the achievement of the Development Goals. Sustainable".
Luis Moreno, CEO of Fundación Ecolec, stated that “we are very committed to all actions that imply sustainability and solidarity, and when we were offered to participate in this initiative we did not doubt it. This action is also part of the spirit of our #GreenSoul, which we launched last June to coincide with World Environment Day, with a clear intention of helping in the fight against the climate crisis and favoring the achievement of the Development Goals. Sustainable".
Electronic recycling in Spain
According to data from OfiRaee, the coordination office that groups together the collective systems of extended producer responsibility (SCRAP), the activity of these entities, together with the collaboration of the different actors involved in the life cycle of the product -consumers, Manufacturers, distributors and managers managed to manage 328,686 tons of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) during 2019, from both the domestic and professional fields.
This figure represents more than 6.94 kilograms per inhabitant, an amount that is above the established minimum target of 6.41 kilograms per inhabitant. It should also be noted that a total of 6,042 tons were used for preparation processes for reuse, in line with the efforts being made at European level to extend the useful life of the equipment, an aspect considered strategic in the consolidation of the model of circular economy.
