Everything started with a “what if we opt for reuse rather than premature recycling”. In 2014 the Government of Catalonia planned to discard 30,000 computer devices per year until 2019. 92% of the devices were functional and 87% of them were potentially reusable locally by social entities, schools and people digitally excluded. The government wanted to involve all the active reuse centers to do all the work of refurbishing, channeling and tracking these devices. This was the request they made to a research group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. A few months later Ereuse.org was launched.
Electronic Reuse Association
Ereuse.org is an association dedicated to the transition to a collaborative and circular consumption of electronics. We motivate and empower the bootstrap of local and autonomous open platforms for reusing electronics that ensure final recycling and account reuse impact. Ereuse members are mostly social economy organizations that refurbishe and resell retired IT equipment such as mobiles, laptops or desktops. In cities, city councils deliver device surpluses to ereuse members with great effect in creating inclusive jobs, starting or accelerating efficiency and scaling up of local exchange/market of second hand devices.
Electronic Reuse Community
Ereuse.org is a global community formed by activists, local groups, researchers, universities, educational centers, businesses, social economy entities, institutions and, in general, all persons and entities that promote the economy of reuse and recycling of electronics; Our members are refurbishers and retailers with the goal of extending product life through repair, refurbish, and reuse. Our partners are organizations that promote social awareness about the social and environmental impact of electronics, social labor, zero waste, circular economy, fair electronics, the right to repair, the reduction of the digital divide, and social inclusion. Members and partners develop and share resources to support the process of reuse, especially to ensure the chain of custody, final recycling and measurement of the impact generated with reuse. Ereuse.org was launched in 2015, we are a project under Pangea.org, a private, independent non-profit organization founded in 1993 to promote the strategic and environmental use of ICT.