To mark Earth Day 2022 on 22nd April, Wisetek, a global leader in advanced IT asset disposition (ITAD), data destruction, technology reuse and manufacturing services, is calling on global companies to ethically manage their e-waste collection and destruction, and to be proactive in their sustainability initiatives and policies.
Wisetek has recently partnered with Trees on the Land, a cross-border initiative working to establish young native trees across Ireland, on a commitment to plant a tree for every order placed on their ecommerce site, Wisetek Store. Wisetek and Trees on the Land are currently in the process of planting 5,000 trees at sites across Co. Cork.
The company has a dedicated environmental committee and Corporate Sustainable Initiatives programme in place, with the objective of continually improving the internal environmental policies and processes at its facilities across Ireland, the UK, the USA, the Middle East and Thailand. Some of these initiatives include:
- Supporting Local Communities – The Deng Forest Community live in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand, which is outside the current reach of the national electricity grid. In 2014 Wisetek initially donated 1,200 batteries to the community, in co-operation with the Thai Ministry for Energy and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) to operate the installed solar panels that create an electricity source for the community. Since 2014, Wisetek has donated up to 9,600 batteries to the Deng Forest Community.
- Environmental week is an annual event within Wisetek that aims to encourage employees to take part in environmental activities. This week focuses on the theme of “Waste Not, Want Not”, with staff taking part in activities and projects with reused materials that would otherwise be considered waste.
- Employee WEEE Days are a service that Wisetek offer to our employees that enables them to bring in their electronic waste and it will be responsibly disposed of, free of charge.
The theme of Earth Day this year is ‘Invest in Our Planet’. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
Sean Sheehan, CEO of Wisetek, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of all Wisetek’s operations, and is a core value by which we abide. It is our hope that Earth Day 2022 will help to raise awareness of the importance of environmental stewardship among Irish and international businesses. I would like to thank all our employees for their continued efforts in executing on our sustainability initiatives, including our recent partnership with Trees on the land. In order to safeguard our environment, it is essential that companies take ownership of their environmental footprint and are proactive in finding ways to reduce it.”
Last year, Wisetek recycled over five million pounds of IT materials, including desktop computers, laptops, phones and printers, on behalf of its clients. This resulted in a reduction of over 7 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Over 150,000 pounds of toxic materials were also diverted from landfill by the company. According to the e-Stewards Global Impact Calculator, these sustainability saving equate to the impact of over 17,600 trees.