The ‘Sustainable Digitalisation’ campaign has already donated refurbished computer devices to more than 20,000 disadvantaged individuals

The campaign, which has been running for two editions, has enabled the donation of more than 6,542 refurbished devices to social entities that work with people at risk of exclusion. The initiative is promoted by the CEOE Foundation together with Ambilamp, Ecoasimelec, Ecofimática, Ecolum, Ecolec, Eco-raee's, Ecotic and ERP España, with the collaboration of the SEUR Foundation.

The presentation of the results of the second edition of the ‘Sustainable Digitalisation’ campaign took place on 12 April, with the participation of Antonio Garamendi, president of CEOE; Fátima Bañez, president of the CEOE Foundation; Juan Carlos Enrique, general manager of Ambilamp; Andreu Vilà, general manager of Ecotic; Ramón Mayo, president of the SEUR Foundation; Lucía Medina, general manager of the Nantik Lum Foundation; and Carlos Flores, co-founder of the Creática Association, representing the social entities benefiting from the initiative.

The campaign results show optimistic numbers, with a total of 6,542 devices and IT components collected, thanks to the donations of more than 100 companies and self-employed workers from all over Spain. Of these, 40% could be reused, or 47% if we focus only on CPUs, monitors, and laptops. On the other hand, those devices and components that could not be reused have been recycled in order to recover some of their useful materials.

These refurbished devices are distributed thanks to the collaboration of the SEUR Foundation through 60 collaborating NGOs. The CEOE Foundation stated that “these donations have provided access to technology to more than 20,000 people all over Spain through different programs, contributing significantly to the reduction of the digital divide.”

The collection of equipment that ‘Sustainable Digitalization’ promotes not only has a positive social impact, it also brings significant benefits for the environment: the reuse and recycling of devices has meant savings of more than 204,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions, an important step in terms of reducing emissions that contribute to global warming.

During the presentation, Antonio Garamendi emphasised that “we are all here to contribute to a common goal through the responsibility of companies, including SMEs and self-employed professionals. There are many ways to work on digitalisation and one of them is to connect people”. The President of CEOE stressed that “equality is conquered through equal opportunities” and that “on our own we could get there faster, but together we will go further, as SDG #17 tells us”. That is why he invited “everyone, companies and public administrations, to join this project””.

In turn, Fátima Báñez pointed out that ‘Sustainable Digitalization’ is an “alliance for the people.  Our results are very positive, it is a project that works and brings technology closer to society, especially among the most vulnerable groups. We are enabling a social impact and a greener economy””. 

Furthermore, Andreu Vilà and Juan Carlos Enrique highlighted the role of the Extended Producer Responsibility Collective Systems (EPRCS), which, “beyond recycling, also addresses reusing as a vital tool to reduce digital inequality and, thus, improve carbon footprint indices.”

Ramón Mayo reiterated the SEUR Foundation’s commitment to the campaign, having been involved in it since its inception, and was pleased that such collaborative work has resulted in something as noble as helping vulnerable people.

The presentation of results closed with the participation of Lucía Medina and Carlos Flores, who invited other organisations in their sector to join in and become digitalisation channels for particularly sensitive groups, such as young people, the elderly, and women who have been victims of gender-based violence.