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MTN and Ericsson launch e-scrap disposal campaign in Ivory Coast

Ericsson and MTN Côte d’Ivoire recently launched a campaign to drive the awareness and collection of electronic scrap (e-scrap) in the country.


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An e scrap collection station opened to the public at Sorbonne Plateu in the capital Abidjan on October 7, which will be in place for four months. A 20-foot container serves as a collection depot. Here, citizens can bring in old phones, computers and other electronic equipment to be disposed of in a safe and responsible manner. The container will also serve as an education and awareness centre that will be manned by volunteers. At the close of the campaign, collected e-scrap will be transported to an Ericsson-approved recycling partner in Durban, South Africa.

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The e-scrap disposal campaign, which is also supported by the Ministry of the Environment of Ivory Coast, is led by Ericsson’s ecology management programme, as per which the company ensures that its equipment which has reached its end-of-life cycle is wastetreated in an environmentally correct manner following all legal and environmental requirements. “Private sector initiatives in terms of sustainable development and social responsibility are to be welcomed. Indeed, many companies, whatever their size, abide by the national requirements as regards environmental preservation. Some of them are involved in a certification process; others have a social responsibility process. I would like to, on behalf of the Government, congratulate Ericsson and MTN and encourage you to continue in this direction.

I would also like to take the opportunity to invite all the other companies that are not yet involved in sustainability to embrace it,” said Dr. Allah Kouadio Remy, Minister of Environment, Public Health and Sustainability.

“MTN is extremely excited by this campaign. We see this as a great opportunity to engage with customers and citizens alike to spread the word about responsible recycling of e-scrap,” Freddy Tchala, CEO of MTN Côte d’Ivoire stated. West Africa is reportedly one of the worst hit regions, as large quantities of end of life materials disposed globally are dumped here, often illegally.

“Our vision to be a responsible and relevant driver of positive change in the Networked Society starts with conducting business responsibly. That’s why taking accountability for the environmental impact of all our products and services during their lifecycle through our Ecology Management Product Take-Back programme is important to us. This is our second foray into extending our Take Back Programme to include the public and we are proud to partner MTN here in Ivory Coast in making this happen,” said Fredrik Jejdling, Head of Region, sub-Saharan Africa, Ericsson.