Since 2017, ACR+ coordinates the EWWR and we’ve made it a nice tradition to join in by organising our own action.

Here are some examples of what we’ve done in previous years:

For this edition, focusing on WEEE, ACR+ team is invited to join an action dedicated to collecting those small electronic and electrical products we’ve forgotten in our cupboards and drawers. According to the latest International E-Waste Day Report, discarded phones, laptops, servers, cables, appliances, and other e-products in the EU27+4 (EU, UK, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway) annually contain roughly 1 million tonnes of critical raw materials (CRMs). To visualise this, that’s the equivalent of a line of 6-metre-long containers stretching from Paris to Zurich! This can clarify even more how essential it is to fully valorise the CRMs in our products by supporting repair, donation/sale, and recycling (“urban mining”).

In the week between 24 and 28 November, the staff members will bring their e-waste to the office. Colleagues have been encourage to think about:

ACR+ accepted the challenge to go on a little “e-waste treasure hunt” at home and gather every broken or unrepairable electronic product. At the end of the Week, we’ll make a list of the precious objects and contact CF2D, an economic and social enterprise that works to valorise WEEE,  reduce the negative environmental impact of IT, and promote digital inclusion. In the case of an old laptop or phone, CF2D also provides secure data deletion and can issue a certificate confirming that data are completely erased (so they won’t end up feeding any AI machine 😉).