| Techreturns | |
| Industry: | Electronics - reuse and recycle |
| Location City: | Amsterdam |
| Location Country: | Netherlands |
| Products: | Used electronic equipments |
| Services: | Buys and sells used electronic equipment |
| Homepage: | www.techreturns.nl |
Techreturns Nederland BV (2009-2014) was a Dutch company founded with the aim to reduce electronic waste by buying used electronics, especially mobile phones, from consumers and companies to repair them and give them a second life. Techreturns was founded in Amsterdam in 2009. It was member of Social Enterprise Nederland, an organization that supports social enterprises.[1] Techreturns was declared bankrupt in December 2014.[2]
Some clients choose to donate mobile phone through organisations such as Masterpeace and Artis Zoo.[3] Techreturns sold the second hand devices mainly in Asia and Africa where there is a market for affordable, quality electronics.[4] [5] Sales also took place in Europe, especially in the Netherlands through its sister company BeatsNew.
Techreturns was connected to Closing the Loop a foundation collecting e-waste in developing countries for recycling.[6] Involved in this project were also the organisations Fairphone and Text to Change.[7] [8] [9]
Techreturns appeared multiple times in the Dutch media, for instance in a discussion about sustainability initiatives by the Dutch government, an annual summary of Dutch sustainable businesses 2013 by MVO Netherlands and in the consumer television programme Kassa on 14-01-14 in a segment about reuse versus recycling in the electronic industry.[10] [11] [12]