Arvato Systems Celebrates Ten Years of Sustainable IT Partnership with AfB social & green IT

• Arvato Systems receives a certificate of effectiveness for the responsible handling of used IT hardware
• Professional refurbishment and remarketing of almost 15,000 used company laptops, PCs, and smartphones

Arvato Systems is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its successful collaboration with AfB gemeinnützige GmbH, Europe’s largest non-profit IT company. This partnership stands for both sustainable environmental protection and active inclusion.

Since the start of the partnership in 2013, Arvato Systems and AfB have jointly refurbished and remarketed 14,778 used IT devices. This commitment has saved an impressive 10,914,977 liters of water and 1,537,773 kilograms of CO2 equivalents. These savings illustrate the immense ecological impact and underline the importance of sustainable IT use.

"The partnership with AfB is an impressive demonstration of how the circular economy can be implemented in the IT industry," emphasizes Oliver Hartkämper, CIO of the Arvato Systems Group. "Our collaboration proves that sustainability and economic success can go hand in hand."

AfB, short for "Arbeit für Menschen mit Behinderung" (work for people with disabilities), is a recognized inclusion company specializing in certified data erasure, professional refurbishment, and the resale of used IT hardware. Around 50 percent of AfB’s approximately 700 employees are people with disabilities, further emphasizing this cooperation’s social dimension.

A role model for sustainable IT use

"Partnership-based, reliable, sustainable – since 2014, we have been carrying out collections from Arvato Systems, erasing the data storage devices with certified software, checking the devices, and refueling them with the latest operating system," says AfB Managing Director Daniel Büchle. "We sell the as-new hardware to private individuals, associations, small and medium-sized companies or arrange donations to schools.

By working with AfB, Arvato Systems has not only helped conserve resources but has also significantly extended the service life of IT devices. While a smartphone usually is only used for two years on average, it can remain in use for up to four years or longer thanks to AfB’s remanufacturing. This not only reduces electronic waste but also minimizes the demand for new devices and, thus, the consumption of valuable raw materials. In this way, AfB’s activities contribute to seven Social Development Goals (SDGs). These sustainable development goals set by the United Nations include "sustainable consumption and production" (SDG 12), "climate action" (SDG 13) and "reduced inequalities" (SDG 10).

About AfB social & green IT
The IT refurbisher AfB social & green IT specializes in certified data erasure, professional refurbishment and the resale of used IT hardware. AfB cooperates with more than 1,500 companies, banks, insurance companies, and public institutions across Europe. The refurbished devices are sold online or in the AfB store at significantly lower prices than new goods and with a minimum 12-month warranty. In this way, new production is avoided, reducing emissions and electronic waste and conserving valuable resources. At the same time, the social enterprise focuses on inclusion: 47% of the approximately 700 employees are severely disabled. This makes AfB the largest non-profit IT company in Europe. For this green IT concept, AfB has been awarded the Baden-Württemberg Black Lion Business Prize (2022), the German Sustainability Award (2012, 2021, and 2024), and the German SDG Award (2022), among others.