Tag: refurbed

Refurbed launches its first partnership in the Irish market to provide sustainable refurbished phones to 48’s customers

Refurbed, Ireland’s leading refurbished electronics marketplace, has launched a new partnership with 48, which is powered by Three – Ireland’s fastest mobile network. Refurbed and 48 will come together to provide new and existing 48 customers with the option of buying a cheaper, sustainable refurbished smartphone through the 48 dedicated app and website. The announcement marks refurbed’s first partnership within the Irish market as more consumers, particularly young people, are making the conscious decision to buy more sustainable products to reduce their carbon footprint.

48 is Ireland’s first totally digital mobile brand, popular among customers who enjoy commitment-free, data-controlled packages. As a result of this partnership, 48 customers will enjoy a holistic experience as phones and sim cards will be brought to one place, making life a little bit easier for those wanting to buy ‘green.’ Through the My48 App and website, 48 customers will enjoy refurbed’s full selection of refurbished smartphones.

Refurbed, who was recently awarded the LinkedIn Top Start-Up in Austria for 2022, and 48 are both passionate about sustainability and financial empowerment. Refurbed’s smartphones are up to 40% more affordable than new devices and are 100% sustainable. The refurbishment process that refurbed’s smartphones undergo is up to 40 steps and produces 70% less CO2 emissions compared to the creation of a new device. To offset the remaining 30%, refurbed plants a tree for every product sold. 48 sends its sim cards in compostable packaging and offers its customers the best value plan on the market as awarded at the 2022 Switcher.ie Mobile Awards. Both companies go hand-in-hand in offering their customers a sustainable and affordable mobile package. As part of this partnership, refurbed will plant a tree for every smartphone sold to 48 customers, with the option to plant a native tree in Ireland.

Speaking on the announcement, Pádraig Power, refurbed’s Marketing Manager for Ireland said, “We are delighted to partner with 48, Ireland Best Value Mobile Network. We are excited to broaden our reach through this partnership, bringing refurbed’s smartphones to 48 customers. It is essential that affordable and sustainable alternatives are available to Irish consumers, particularly those looking to make a saving as the cost of living crisis continues. As a society, we often try to improve our sustainability efforts, but find it challenging. This is why we are proud to present an offer that is actually both sustainable, and cheaper. Together with 48, we will help new and existing 48 customers stay up-to-date with the latest smartphones at more affordable rates while also positively impacting the environment.

This partnership is a milestone in refurbed’s journey in Ireland. We are thrilled to partner with a prominent Irish brand such as 48. The demand for sustainable alternatives in all industries is becoming more apparent among Irish consumers. With this partnership, we are demonstrating that sustainable practices can be incorporated into everyday life such as your mobile sim plan. We are excited to see what the future holds for this partnership.”

David Ward, Head of New Products and Propositions, 48 added, “We are proud to announce that 48 is partnering with refurbed, who recently launched their proposition in Ireland of selling refurbished devices at a very reasonable cost and who are offering products up to 40% cheaper and 100% sustainable. This collaboration allows us to place our customers at the core of the partnership, as any existing 48 customer now has the option to buy a refurbished device from refurbed through the My48 app and website once logged into their account. 

We also know our customers are very passionate about sustainability, which is another key element of the partnership, and to demonstrate this commitment, for every device bought from refurbed, they will plant a tree on behalf of our customers. We invite all customers, current and new, to check out the range of options and more information on their My48 account.”

Earth Overshoot Day 2022 – “As of 29 July, we are in debt to our children”

Earth Overshoot Day was calculated. It signified the day on which human consumption of raw materials can no longer be covered by the formation of new resources. In other words: every day after it, we incur ecological debt. When calculated in 1971 this date fell on 25 December – i.e. humanity consumed more resources than were available for only six calendar days – in just over 50 years, this date now falls on 28 July; 150 days earlier. In 2006, the first global Earth Overshoot Day campaign was launched together with the Global Footprint Network, and since 2007 the WWF, the world’s largest nature conservation organisation, has been involved.

“This year, from the 29th of July onwards, we will already be ecologically in debt to our children and grandchildren,” says Peter Windischhofer, CEO and Co-Founder of refurbed. “For 156 days this year, we will consume resources that do not belong to us. This is like my salary being used up on the 17th of the month and living on credit for the remainder,” says the founder of the green tech scale-up and online marketplace for sustainable consumption. 

The COVID-19 Pandemic has highlighted humanity’s ecological impact

Since 2018, Earth Overshoot Day has been a regular visitor in the month of July with the exception of 2020 when it occurred on August 22nd. This was due to global lockdowns; “2020 showed how much influence we could have as a society and how it is possible to move the date back again,” says Windischhofer. “Now we have to learn to find ways to move the date further back, even without COVID-19.”

Ireland’s 2022 Overshoot Day was worryingly on April 21st, much earlier than the world average

According to the Central Statistics Office, in 2018 alone, Ireland had the 3rd worst emissions per capita in Europe, with 53% higher emissions per person than the EU average (12.6 tonnes vs. 8.2 tonnes). “If everyone in the world lived the way we Irish do, we would have celebrated Earth Overshoot Day on the 21st of April this year,” says Pádraig Power, Ireland’s marketing manager for refurbed, about the unpleasant date. “This concrete figure will hopefully help us recognise Ireland’s exuberant consumer behaviour, and help us realise that now is the time to put the steps in place for a greener future.”

“Change has to be easy, otherwise it is not long-term”

“It is simply not true that the individual can do nothing,” Founder Windischhofer knows from his own experience. “Everything we do has effects – some stop eating meat, others switch from the car to the train. The pandemic has shown that remote working is possible across the board and that many kilometres in our everyday lives are also simply superfluous,” the committed entrepreneur is convinced. “It is important that we make changes in behaviour easy, pleasant and attainable, only then will they be permanent. Our consumer behaviour is changing. The concept of ‘reuse – recycle – repair’ is slowly catching on in people’s minds, but every person is different, every person can save CO2 somewhere else. The Earth doesn’t care where we save, it only cares that we do it.” 

Refurbed is a CO2 negative and an environmentally positive organisation – for every product sold, refurbed plants a tree to offset carbon emissions created during the refurbishing process. The trees are planted in countries such as Haiti, Madagascar, Kenya, Indonesia and Mozambique or Nepal through their partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects. The company also plants native trees in woodlands across Ireland as part of their partnership with Reforest Nation.

Refurbed Champions EUREFAS: Aiming to enable a strong circular economy throughout Europe

Refurbed, Ireland’s leading online marketplace for refurbished electronics, is today announcing its pledge, along with 16 other members of the European Refurbishment Association (EUREFAS), for a responsible refurbishment market. The goal of this pledge is to standardise renewed products with quality standard seals by 2023. With their active role in EUREFAS, refurbed are helping to shape a greener future as they encourage consumers to move towards environmentally friendly products.

In May 2022, refurbed attended the EUREFAS general assembly in Brussels where a new pledge was discussed. Members of EUREFAS pledged to take necessary actions to improve their business models in order to create a high-quality refurbishment sector for electronic devices in Europe. This includes standardising newly processed products with quality standard seals by 2023.

During the event members also had the opportunity to meet with crucial EU stakeholders from the European Commission. Members discussed key topics such as the Sustainable Products Regulation and the Right to Repair movement, both of which aim to influence industry and encourage consumers to change their consumption habits towards greener products.

Kilian Kaminski, Chair of the Working Group Communications and co-founder of refurbed, said:

“As a member of EUREFAS, we have the chance to define structures and guidelines for a relatively young industry together with competitors and partners. And not just on a local or national level, but across Europe. This creates transnational cooperation with members who pursue a similar mission. As co-founder of refurbed, it was important to me from the very beginning to be able to offer customers products of the highest quality – but this requires regulations and standards that also hold manufacturers accountable in order to make the refurbishment market trustworthy in the long term.”

He continued:

“I am delighted to see that the refurbishment market is growing increasingly popular among many countries in Europe. It is clear that there is a shift in consumer habits in many of refurbed’s markets, particularly Ireland where the number of Irish consumers buying refurbished devices is continuously increasing.”

The new EUREFAS member commitment is as follows:

EUREFAS members commit:

Towards a qualitative electronic equipment remanufacturing sector.

By signing this pledge, EUREFAS (European Refurbishment Association) members commit to take the following actions to improve their business models in order to create a high quality refurbishment sector for electronic equipment and high quality end products in Europe.

 

  • EUREFAS members commit to enabling a strong circular economy in Europe to combat climate change by reducing e-waste, carbon emissions and over-consumption of raw materials and aiming for carbon neutrality, as well as maximising the reuse of electronic equipment through refurbishment.

  • EUREFAS members are companies headquartered in the European Union that commit to comply with applicable EU and national laws.

  • EUREFAS members are committed to participating in certification schemes in order to provide the highest quality to their partners and customers and to continuously improve their systems to meet new challenges for their companies.

  • EUREFAS members undertake to use or allow the use in their electronic equipment and refurbishment processes of only original or compatible spare parts that have the same functions and technical specifications as the original parts.

  • EUREFAS members commit to ensuring privacy and consumer safety at every step of the reprocessing process.

  • EUREFAS members are committed to providing the best end-user experience by offering a commercial warranty on every electronic device sold and quality after-sales service.

  • EUREFAS members ensure the full functionality of all electronic equipment sold to the end user by testing all key control points.

 

By committing to the pledge, the refurbishment industry and the quality of the products will be structured and the interests of consumers will be safeguarded. The association has set itself the goal of providing this new quality seal by 2023 with the help of its internal members and experienced external experts.

Augustin Becquet, President and founding member of EUREFAS, says: “As there are still no pan-European standards in the market for remanufactured electronics, this commitment signed by all EUREFAS members is an important step towards making the industry more reliable, enabling a circular economy and empowering consumers to make informed, sustainable purchasing decisions.”

The current scope of countries represented in the association currently includes 9 countries and 17 members. In addition to refurbed, Recommerce, ReWare, Tech2Com, Foxway, Olinn, Omocom, Panzerglass, Asgoodasnew, Backmarket, ReBuy, ITC (ReCall First Hand), Swappie, AfB Group, Enjoy Recondizionati/Prestige Group, FixFirst and Remarketed are also

Part of EUREFAS. According to the Commission, a circular economy like remanufacturing can create 700,000+ jobs in Europe by 2030.