Gütersloh, Ettlingen, 04/18/2017

Certificate for IT Cooperation

The cooperation of Bertelsmann Corporate IT and other corporate departments with the nonprofit IT company AfB gGmbH  is representative of the diversified corporate responsibility initiatives of Bertelsmann. Through this cooperation, Bertelsmann has been making a valuable social and environmental contribution to society, which the company has now confirmed with a certificate.

Since 2004 AfB gGmbH has been specialized in acquiring IT hardware taken out of service by large groups and public institutions. The retired hardware of the cooperating Bertelsmann companies is overhauled and existing data is deleted in a way that conforms to certified data protection methods. Afterwards, the devices can be resold with a minimum one year warranty in the AfB stores or via the affiliated online shop. Devices that are defective or too old are disassembled into their component parts for reuse as spare parts and the unusable materials are delivered to certified recycling companies.

All work steps in the company are barrier-free and done by people with and without disabilities, enabling a smooth integration of all employees into the professional world and thus opening new perspectives. Due to the quantity and quality of the retired devices, Bertelsmann was able to take responsibility to support a workplace for people with disabilities. Alexandra Stößel, Assistant IT Coordination Corporate Center of Bertelsmann, says: "Naturally, we also appreciate the environmental aspects of the cooperation. The production of new hardware is substituted with this form of recycling, which protects natural resources and reduces electronic waste and CO₂ emissions."

A plus for the environment

In the past four years, AfB has taken 2,550 IT devices from Bertelsmann, equaling 20.4 tons; 64 percent of them were made reusable through data destruction, hardware testing, spare part sourcing, cleaning and repair. In environmental terms, this means that the participating Bertelsmann companies contributed to saving 129,264 kilograms of ferric equivalents, 279,857 kilowatt hours of energy and 86,687 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

Along with the Bertelsmann Corporate Center, which has been a partner since 2013, and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, other Group companies including Arvato participate in this cooperation. Stephan Gräfe, Vice President IT Coordination Corporate Center of Bertelsmann, says: "We're pleased that we can reasonably support AfB through our cooperation. The combination of modern, reliable IT service for our hardware and the socio-ecological commitment allows all parties to benefit. The cooperation perfectly fits in with our values at Bertelsmann because we assume responsibility for the society and environment through it."