Biosphere
December 2014
Vienna, Austria

Austria: Re-use - a project with an evironmental and social impact

Repair sponsorship – better repair than throw away – Protecting the environment by conserving resources

We live in a disposable society and consume more resources than our planet can provide. Especially when it comes to electric appliances manufacturers often shorten the products’ life-spans on purpose (e.g. by including breaking points) so that sales of new products increase. It is often forgotten that this way resources are wasted and that the environment as well as people are exploited. Many resources which are needed for the production of electric appliances are limited. Usually they are extracted under inhumane working conditions in developing countries.
 
In order to counteract this development the Greenfinity Foundation takes on a repair sponsorship at R.U.S.Z., a company specialized in mechatronics. Within this sponsorship a long-term unemployed person is being supported in their training and also receives permanent employment at R.U.S.Z. We try to help people re-enter working life and want to enable them to receive training for the profession of repair expert. This way, old and broken electric appliances can be repaired and ecologically improved. This contributes to saving resources and protecting our environment.

Projekt Info
Project Goals

The goal of this project is to enable a long-term unemployed person to receive permanent employment by taking on a repair sponsorship.

  • Financing a two-month training for the profession of qualified repair specialist
  • Creating employment for formerly unemployed people
  • Prevention of waste and resource conservation
  • Contributing to climate protection
  • Ecologically improving electric appliances
  • Raising awareness of promoting careful handling of our resources
Projekt Location

Vienna, Austria

Project period
January – February 2015
Financing

Costs of the repair sponsorship are borne entirely by the Greenfinity Foundation from donations by the Lyoness Group AG. Instead of buying Christmas presents for merchants and affiliates this money benefits the repair sponsorship.

Convenantee group
  • The environment: Careful handling of resources helps protect the environment. 
  • Long-term unemployed people for whom it has been difficult to re-enter working life so far: because of this additional training they receive permanent employment at R.U.S.Z.
Project partner
  • R.U.S.Z. GmbH (Reparatur- und Service-Zentrum R.U.S.Z; meaning center for repairs and services)
  • Lyoness Group AG
*“Ö3-Wundertüte” is a charitable action: old mobile phones can be donated and will be recycled or sold again. The money thereby gained benefits families in need.
Results

R.U.S.Z. is winner of the Environmental Prize as well as the Energy Globe Award and inventor of “Ö3-Wundertüte”*