‘Sustainable Digitalisation’ launches its second edition after collecting nearly 5,000 computer devices and components to help reduce the digital divide

The recycling of the devices saves 108,009 kilograms of CO2 equivalent emissions, reduces the generation of waste, and avoids possible damage to the environment due to inappropriate disposal..

The first edition of the ‘Sustainable Digitalization’ initiative has managed to collect a total of 4,692 computer devices and components throughout 2021, thanks to the donations of more than 60 companies and freelancers from all over Spain. Of these, up to 2,594 devices have been reconditioned so that they can be reused by people with difficulties in accessing technology.

The reconditioned devices are being distributed with the help of the SEUR Foundation through 40 NGOs that are regular collaborators of the CEOE Foundation, the driving force behind the campaign together with the main Extended Producer Responsibility Collective Systems (EPRCS) in the field of electronic recycling (Ambilamp, Ecoasimelec, Ecofimática, Ecolum, Ecolec, Ecotic and ERP España).

The devices will be used to meet the requests made by educational and training centres, non-profit homes for the elderly, organisations that care for people at risk of exclusion, and other individuals and communities that need them.

“The success of the campaign prompts us to launch a second edition this year with the aim of further advancing in our efforts to reduce the digital divide and promote equal opportunities with adequate access to technological means that support education, training and communication, especially among the most vulnerable people,” said CEOE President Antonio Garamendi.

Social and environmental Benefit

Donations will benefit nearly 16,000 people receiving assistance from a wide range of social organisations such as Cáritas Diocesana, Grupo Social Lares, Fundación Amigó, Creática, Formació i Treball (La Fundació Amiga), Fundación Secretariado Gitano, Fundación ExE, EMET Arco Iris, Proyecto Hombre, Asociación Bienestar y Desarrollo (ABD), Obra Social San Juan de Dios, Asociación Arrabal-AID, Mensajeros de la Paz, and Fundación Educativa Franciscanas de Montpellier, among many others.

The correct environmental disposal of WEEE is essential to avoid the potential pollution they can cause and to reclaim any materials they may contain, with recovery levels that are generally above 90% for this type of devices. In this way, they can be used again in new production processes, contributing both to environmental sustainability and to the development of a circular economy model that is more efficient in the use of available resources.

The organisers of the ‘Sustainable Digitalisation’ campaign estimate that the total emission savings achieved through the reuse of these devices will reach 108,009 kilograms of CO2 equivalent. This reduction in the carbon footprint is equivalent to the CO2 emitted by around 5,700 petrol cars driving for 100 kilometres or the amount that more than 4,300 trees can absorb over the course of a whole year, thus generating a significant benefit for the environment in the reduction of this type of emissions that contribute to global warming.

New edition underway 

The warm reception of the campaign among companies and freelancers from across the country has been fundamental to the success of this first edition of ‘Sustainable Digitalisation’, with the second edition already underway and to be implemented throughout 2022. The organisers would like to call for the participation of companies of all sizes and self-employed workers to continue advancing towards the goal of enabling universal access to technology for everyone.

They also wanted to highlight that the shared commitment to promote a rational use of technology is essential to achieve several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including quality education (SDG 4), reducing inequalities (SDG 10), responsible production and consumption (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13) and partnerships to achieve goals (SDG 17).

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