Volvo sets up ‘E-waste Green Box’ at dealerships nationwide – electronic waste disposal, open to all

This is a good one. Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) has partnered with E-waste Recycling Through Heroes (ERTH) to provide the “E-waste Green Box” at all Volvo dealerships nationwide, as well as at the Volvo Car Manufacturing Malaysia (VCMM) plant. This is an avenue for Malaysians to responsibly dispose and recycle used electronics. Yes, it’s open to the general public.

One can drop off any device or components running on electricity or battery that can fit into the box. This includes, but is not limited to laptops, mobile phones, monitors, tablets, printers, keyboards, batteries and gaming consoles. For bulkier items, individuals are encouraged to book a free pickup service on www.erth.app.

“At Volvo, we walk the talk. Instead of only talking about sustainability, we drive it by embracing and integrating the practice into our business and day-to-day life. When coming up with the idea for the E-waste Green Box, we wanted to enable all Malaysians – and not just our customers and employees – so that together we can drive this sustainability journey together, for the greater good of our planet and our future generations, so that we leave behind a safer and greener world for them to live in,” said Akhtar Sulaiman, marketing and PR director at VCM.

This initiative is made possible in collaboration with ERTH, a registered organisation with the Malaysian Department of Environment (Jabatan Alam Sekitar) that collects, purchases and transports electronic waste to be recycled at local government-licensed recycling facilities. ERTH ensures that the recycling process is in line with the guidelines from the Basel Convention, an international agreement treaty designed to reduce the movement, transport and/or shipment of hazardous waste between nations.

Unfortunately, only about 25% of our e-waste in Malaysia is recycled according to the latest government statistics, with the rest incinerated or dumped in landfills.

“Responsible business is a fundamental part of VCM, which is why we are proud to collaborate with ERTH that ensures the electronic waste is recycled and repurposed in the correct manner and in accordance to guidelines that have been laid down. In an age where electronics are abundant, we partly contribute to the problem, so we need to also be a part of the solution. Recycling and repurposing is one of the best ways to offset one’s carbon emission, and we hope that more Malaysians can take part in joining us to create a greener future,” Akhtar added.

Cool, but hardly surprising coming from Volvo. This initiative comes off the back of VCM’s ongoing sustainability campaign – the Volvo Green Planet – which aims to bring greater awareness towards today’s pressing climate concerns and propel the brand closer to its long-term goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040.

Volvo Cars’ mission is to reduce CO2 emissions per car by 40% between 2018 and 2025 through electrification. It also tackles carbon emissions in all aspects of its business, from manufacturing and operations to its supply chain and even its approach to recycling and reuse of materials. The company is abstaining from single-use plastics and going paperless for all brochures and price lists at its headquarters and Volvo dealerships worldwide.

So, now that we have an avenue to do so, let’s recycle our e-waste the right way by dropping them off at the nearest Volvo dealership (go to VCM’s official website to locate the outlets). An E-waste Green Box will also be placed at the security guard post of VCMM’s factory, if you’re close to Seksyen 15 Shah Alam.

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