Gütersloh, 05/13/2024

Reuse of IT hardware with a socio-ecological impact

Bertelsmann, Arvato Systems, Riverty and other Bertelsmann companies have been working with the non-profit IT service provider AfB since 2014. Here, used hardware is refurbished, remarketed and reused. AfB has issued certificates to Bertelsmann, Arvato Systems and Riverty, among others, for the year 2023, demonstrating the social and ecological extent of the partnership. Bertelsmann employees receive a discount on the purchase of remanufactured devices.

Bertelsmann companies rely on state-of-the-art technology in their operations. This also means that the hardware used must be replaced at certain intervals. However, the corresponding devices from Bertelsmann Corporate, Arvato Systems and Riverty, among others, do not simply end up in the rubbish bin. Instead, these companies have been cooperating for years with the non-profit IT company AfB, which refurbishes and remarkets the hardware. AfB has issued certificates to the Corporate Centre, Arvato Systems and Riverty for the year 2023, demonstrating the social and environmental extent of the partnerships.

The extraction of raw materials and other environmental impacts of new IT production can be reduced by refurbishing old devices; this service also creates jobs. If IT devices are no longer suitable for refurbishment, for example because they are defective or simply too old, they are dismantled, used for spare parts recovery where possible and otherwise left to certified companies for recycling.

More than 400 tonnes of CO2 equivalents saved

The latest figures show that the partnerships between the Bertelsmann companies mentioned above alone have secured a total of five jobs for people with disabilities. From an environmental perspective, the companies saved 616,508 kilograms of greenhouse gases (CO₂ equivalents), 2,381,072 kilowatt hours of energy, 236,457 kilograms of consumed raw materials (iron equivalents) and 4,409,138 litres of water from 1 January to 31 December 2023, according to AfB.

AfB claims to be the largest non-profit IT company in Europe, currently employing around 660 people. It specialises in the purchase, refurbishment and sale of used business IT as well as its certification and erasure. Devices that can no longer be sold are dismantled and professionally recycled. AfB stands for "Arbeit für Menschen mit Behinderung" (work for people with disabilities) and is a recognised inclusion company - around half of the AfB team are people with disabilities. All processes are designed to be barrier-free, as people with and without disabilities work together at AfB. In addition to Arvato Systems, the Corporate Centre, Riverty, RTL Deutschland and RTL Technology have also been partners of AfB for many years.