In a take-back system with as large a network as SENS’, our customers and partners are the most important component – a fact that is reflected in our day-to-day work. We want to provide you with an insight into the structures, highlights and objectives of SENS eRecycling in the 2017 reporting period. So here we present 2017 in brief – from us for you!
Foreword by the Foundation President
Live from Bern
One issue that has long concerned us as take-back systems was brought before parliament in 2016, and thus introduced to the general public: the question of whether and how take-back systems have to react to changing conditions of the growing number of foreign purchases; the manufacturers, importers and retailers who remain on the sidelines; and foreign online purchases.
We commonly refer to these people as freeloaders – they purchase their electronic devices abroad, sell them in Switzerland as a Swiss company, or order them from foreign online retailers without paying the advanced recycling fee. In this case, we are then responsible for the disposal costs for these devices, which results in gaps in the eRecycling cycle. The SENS eRecycling system alone faces a deficit of three to four million Swiss francs annually.
The SENS eRecycling system, which we have spent the last 28 years creating, maintaining, optimising and developing together with our partners, is the result of a great deal of dedication and hard work. Now this shift in sales and purchasing behaviour presents us with challenges that we can no longer master on our own with voluntary means. That is why, in 2017, together with Swico Recycling and the Swiss Lighting Recycling Foundation (SLRS), a number of us travelled to Bern to ensure that the government steps in to strengthen our current system in the areas where it needs help, while at the same time recognising its strengths in terms of independence and its voluntary principle.
The result: on 13 December, the Council of States unanimously approved a motion instructing the Federal Council to implement the “mandatory participation with exemption option” principle for the take-back and recycling systems for electrical equipment. Anyone importing, manufacturing or selling equipment appearing on the Ordinance on the Return, Taking Back and Disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ORDEE) list in Switzerland in the future should pay an advance disposal fee (ADF) to a private organisation appointed by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). Those affiliated with a voluntary take-back system should be released from this obligation. We feel that the solution proposed in the motion will provide funds quickly and in a targeted manner to ensure financial security for the disposal of old electrical equipment.
In the next step, the National Council will evaluate the motion. Once both councils have approved the motion, the Federal Council will receive the instruction to adapt the ordinance.
Together with Swico Recycling, SLRS and my team, we are fighting tooth and nail for this mandatory participation solution because our many years of experience in this field have shown us that this is the best solution for everyone. It combines the advantages of the voluntary take-back system such as, for example, manufacturer responsibility or the option to help shape the system, with the advantages of mandatory participation, and also ensures streamlined, efficient management and organisation.
I hope that you will support us in our efforts. I look forward to reporting more soon – live from Bern.
Andreas Röthlisberger
Foreword by the Managing Director
“When you stop getting better, you stop being good.” - Philipp Rosenthal, entrepreneur
In 2017, you could say that we completely turned our system upside-down. With the SENS 2.0 project, we introduced quantity-dependent remuneration, put out a tender for the processing of a portion of our materials, and established SENS logistics (see Future – Making progress together – SENS logistics). And all of this with the goal of becoming better, more effective and more cost-efficient. Throughout this process, you – our clients and partners – have once again surpassed my expectations. The smaller hurdles have all been cleared and now, with our new organisation, I am pleased to report a positive financial result.
As our partners, you have participated in a large number of workshops to help us design, develop and implement the SENS 2.0 system. Naturally, change is never a completely smooth process, and that was also the case for us. But the fact that we were able to implement such fundamental changes to our organisation without any major incidents or outages is phenomenal. And it would not have been possible without your help. The fact that this year’s financial results have exceeded our expectations underscores this positive sentiment and has assured us that we are on the right track.
But we don’t want to sit idly by with our hands in our laps – we will continue to be faced with upheavals on the market, shifts in the price of raw materials and new technical requirements for disposal, and these issues will force us to continually evolve and grow. If you are interested in the technical requirements for disposal, then I recommend you read the report that is currently available for download at the eWaste Forum (ewasteforum.ch). This report clearly demonstrates that the demands placed on the quality of our consolidated cargo will increase in the near future.
We also have positive news to report in terms of our communications – Swiss citizens are paying more and more attention to electronic equipment recycling. The brochure “Five myths about electronic waste” was included as an insert in a number of magazines and reached a wide audience. The conversation is also taking place on social media.
All of our activities have a single goal: the sustainable recovery of as many raw materials as possible of the highest possible quality. However, even this goal is impossible for us to achieve alone – we need you, our partners. For this reason, I want to extend my sincere thanks to you. You make the eRecycling cycle complete.
Heidi Luck
SENS communication
Close the Circle
The goal of this large-scale campaign is to inspire end customers to purchase their appliances from SENS partners and thus – by paying the advance recycling fee (ARF) – help to finance the professional disposal of disused electrical and electronic appliances.
Today, 95 per cent of disused electrical and electronic appliances in Switzerland are professionally recycled. More than 600 manufacturers, retailers and importers make this possible by voluntarily levying the advance recycling fee (ARF) when selling an appliance. And yet in 2017, we are still working to convince even more manufacturers and importers to participate in this voluntary system.
The idea behind the campaign, which we continued to promote in 2017, is to use a gesture to symbolise the closing of the eRecycling cycle: two hands forming the shape of a circle. This visual parenthesis clearly communicates to the end customer that they should only purchase electrical appliances when recycling is included in the price – at our ARF partners.
For the entire month of March, the campaign was visible on television and billboards, online, in cinemas and on eBoards. We offered our SENS partners a special download area with campaign material that was used frequently. The campaign was a success – the positive results, such as 600 contest participants, a high level of involvement on social media (5 per cent engagement rate on Facebook; 14,000 clicks on YouTube) and the strong media presence, attest to this. Additional communication measures will be put in place for the main message in the coming year.
Social media
Influencers raise eRecycling awareness
Brand ambassadors are out, influencers are in: influencers are people with a large social media following who discuss certain topics and therefore use their popularity to inform their followers about the latest trends or offer their personal recommendations. Our successful influencer campaign from December 2017 proves that this is not only effective in the worlds of fashion, travel and food, but increasingly in the areas of technology, environmental protection and even eRecycling.
How do you reach a target audience between the ages of 15 and 25 nowadays? Which channels does this elusive group use, and are they even interested in decidedly unglamorous topics such as electronic waste, ARF and eRecycling? We wanted to find out. Which is why we staged an influencer campaign together with a professional agency that had experience in this arena.
Christa Rigozzi, Kerstin Cook, Frieda Hodel, The Frenchie Kitchen Club – these are just a few of the Swiss influencers that we could convince to take up our cause. Intelligent, dedicated, creative and spirited, they all spread the word about eRecycling and Fair ARF in their own unique ways in order to reach their followers and provoke interesting discussions. We are pleased that we were able to reach a wide audience with our topic, which is, admittedly, a bit dry – the numbers from the campaign demonstrate that even recycling electronic equipment can be hip and trendy if communicated in the right way.
A few of the results of our influencer campaign:
24 influencers
96 posts
202,100 views
41,400 engagements
33,700 likes
1,100 comments
35 shares