VANCOUVER — In partnership with the not-for-profit environmental organization Circular Innovation Council, Telus announced today it is sponsoring Canada’s first-ever Circular Economy Month in October.
Circular Economy Month is “an awareness campaign that focuses on the importance of waste reduction and recycling,” says a Telus press release.
Telus is encouraging Canadians to “repair, recycle or upcycle” their old phones or tablets, “helping to contribute towards the circular economy by prolonging their device’s lifespan, reducing electronic waste and keeping them out of landfills,” the release reads.
Canadians can participate in the circular economy by bringing their broken devices to one of Telus’ Mobile Klinik stores to have them repaired, or by dropping off old unwanted devices at a Telus store to have them recycled or upcycled for use as part of Telus’ Mobility for Good program that provides access to smartphones for Canadians in need.
“Circular Innovation Council is pleased to partner with TELUS to launch Canada’s very first Circular Economy Month,” said Jo-Anne St. Godard, executive director of Circular Innovation Council, in the release. “Circular Economy Month provides us an opportunity to think about how production and consumption effects our environment. It is also a time to celebrate innovation and reimagine how we produce, use and discard products to increase their value and reduce environmental impacts.
“Woven into our everyday lives, cell phones are a perfect candidate to help Canadians engage in circular practices by purchasing devices that are produced with minimal natural resources, designed for durability, repaired, refurbished and easy to recycle. These are all characteristics of a product that supports a circular economy. By joining as a founding partner, TELUS is demonstrating its commitment to doing its part of facilitating and promoting Canada’s transition to a circular economy,” she said.
“TELUS is committed to leveraging our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change. To date, TELUS and our customers have responsibly recycled over 3.5 million devices and counting; this year alone, we’ve upcycled more than 80,000 used handsets into Certified Pre-owned devices, with potential savings of over 2,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions each year when compared to selling new devices,” said Jim Senko, executive vice-president and president of mobility solutions at Telus.
“We’re so passionate about the circular economy and the power of responsible device recycling as pre-loved devices are put back into the market through resale, our Bring-It-Back program or repairing devices at our Mobile Klinik stores so they can have a prolonged life. These sustainable business practices are part of TELUS’ commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and become a zero-waste, carbon-neutral company by 2030.”
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