May 4, 2005—A company that recycles mobile phones has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in international trade. Fonebak became the proud winner after increasing its overseas sales by 127 percent to 27 million in three years.
Through the reuse and recycling of mobile phones, over 1,800 metric tons of electrical waste going to landfill has been avoided, despite the fact that 18 million mobile phones are replaced or upgraded in the UK each year.
With a client base of over 1,000, the company has now developed an international distribution network in Africa, Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe, already complies fully with the forthcoming Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and has been endorsed by major retailers, charities and the UK government.
The cost of buying new handsets has been identified as the biggest barrier to mobile communications affordability in developing countries, according to Fonebak CEO Kathy Woodward, which is why distributing old phones in areas such as Africa and Asia has made a big difference to local people.
Any phones that are not passed on for reuse are recycled in order to recover materials that can then be returned to productive use.
For more information, visit the company Web site.
