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From us for you
In 2020, we were able to look back on a successful 30 years for our take-back system. We do this with pride, gratitude and full of ambition for the next 30 years. This is because we are not even slightly tired and want to continue setting benchmarks in the eRecycling cycle – professionally, innovatively and together with our partners.
Foreword by the Foundation Honorary President
30 years of SENS eRecycling
“Even when I was young, I already had great respect and an appreciation of what Native Americans had done with the environment. Closing cycles was a concern of mine from an early age.”
I opened the anniversary film celebrating 30 years of SENS eRecycling with this statement. The development of the SENS vision has spurred me on since the 1980s and I am proud that the basic principles that we developed back then are still adhered to 30 years later.
We are now focusing our attention more than ever on the actions that the Native Americans took as a matter of course all those years ago. The holistic approach of the circular economy is (I would almost like to say “Finally!”) an issue that everyone is talking about and is encouraging every sector to give some thought to the recovery of raw materials as well as the design, production, distribution, use and even the recycling of a product. In so doing, it is setting the course so that every sector is on the right track going forwards.
When we look at our return rates for waste electrical equipment, we are at the top of the international rankings with an average of 95 per cent. People in Switzerland are active supporters of professional disposal and in terms of closing the cycles of materials – with 16 kilograms of electronic waste returned per person per year, we can assume that waste electrical equipment will find its way back in the cycle in Switzerland as secondary raw materials. These 16 kilograms of electronic waste also tells us a great deal about our consumption and lifestyle – as the amount of electronic waste increases year on year. Electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. The United Nations (UN) estimates that an unbelievable 74.7 million tonnes of electronic waste will have been generated by 2030. This highlights the significance of professional recycling and thus the recovery and reuse of recyclable materials. The figures are clear and impactful.
My fascination with closing cycles inspires me as much today as it did in my youth and I am still not at all tired of developing new ideas aimed at protecting our environment. After 30 years, it is with a little pride and a lot of gratitude that I can hand over the responsibility to the next generation. Handing over the presidency to my colleague on the Board of Trustees Dirk Hoffmann is by no means an ending for SENS, but rather an impetus for further development in a dynamic market with major and new challenges. Dirk Hoffmann is a man of action who passionately promotes sustainability and circular economy, is a people person and is convinced of the power of visions. With his experience, expertise and creativity, he is precisely the right person for us and our partners.
I would like to say thank you for 30 exciting, inspiring, challenging and most notably rewarding years with SENS eRecycling. The future of SENS is in good hands.
Andreas Röthlisberger
Foreword by the Managing Director
We’re the place to be!
Zoom, Teams, GoToMeeting – digital is the new normal – and this has definitely thrown some people over the last year. The fact that we in the SENS eRecycling team held our meetings, maintained daily contact with our partners and were even able to enjoy our 9.00 a.m. coffee together virtually on the first day of the home-office recommendation highlights our agility and flexibility in terms of digitalisation.
Do not get me wrong, the coronavirus pandemic also impacted us and after my words on the pandemic in the last Annual Report, who would have thought that we would still be dealing with this difficult situation today. However, the variety of projects that we have successfully completed together – even in these extraordinary times – shows me that we are on the right track. Because once again this is proof of how valuable a collaborative partnership is – digitally and in the real world.
For example, the SENS CITY anniversary tour that we had planned was quickly arranged to be held virtually. With various stops and promotional campaigns across Switzerland, we had wanted to meet you all in person, say thank you for the joint milestones we reached and forge plans for the next 30 years. And then everything changed in March 2020, as you already know. Our SENS CITY tour was widely appreciated, with the numerous instances of positive feedback we received showing that we can also apply a personal touch online.
On 14 October 2020, which is International E-Waste Day, we sent out 100,000 letters – each accompanied with a recycling bag – to households in Zurich and Bern to find out whether there was a demand among our population for electronic waste to be collected from individual post boxes by post. We had already received the first positive feedback on home collection in 2019, and so were floored by the positive feedback we gained in our second pilot test. With more than 7,000 filled recycling bags and more than 9,000 kilograms of electronic waste collected, we were totally overwhelmed by the number of “Yes” votes we received to this question, not to mention the positive posts on social media, the lovely telephone calls and the comments on our website. We will definitely revisit this campaign in 2021 – or even immediately!
In our voluntary system, the contractual partners make the decision themselves as to whether they want to support us or not. The fact that we concluded more than 100 new contracts in the last year alone and in doing so gained an additional 100 supporters for the SENS take-back system is sensational. Working together constructively with our partners, we are developing eRecycling further with a constant focus on sustainability and the conservation of resources. This is a success model that puts us in a good position for the next 30 years.
It gives me great pleasure to be able to shine a light on the highlights of our 2020 in this Annual Report. I know which is my favourite project, as that was where everything was really happening! I am interested to hear about which is your favourite.
With warm regards
Heidi Luck
Foreword by the President of the SENS Foundation
An impressive start
Over the course of my career, I have been able to meet, support and shape many large, successful and sustainable companies. Receiving the international IF Design Award for our SENS City campaign just as I am taking over the presidency of SENS eRecycling has made my start with SENS twice as impressive an experience as it already was.
Firstly, I have big shoes to fill: those of our freshly appointed honorary president, Dr Andreas Röthlisberger. He spent the past 30 years making SENS what it is and paving my way with admirable ambition, imagination and courage. I find the Foundation’s achievements incredibly impressive from an ecological and entrepreneurial point of view, and I look forward to leading it further along its path.
This brings me to my second point. To me, the IF Design Award represents what SENS eRecycling already is and what it will continue to be: ambitious, independent and confident. Every day, we overcome new challenges, set ourselves ambitious goals and grow as we strive for the goal we share with our customers and partners: to become even better.
I look forward to my time with SENS eRecycling and cannot wait to meet you all in person soon.
Yours
Dirk Hoffmann
