"Eco Hype" at A1: over 11 thousand mobile devices collected for eco-friendly recycling

Back in the fall of 2023, A1 launched the "Eco Hype" campaign, offering anyone to scrap their old mobile devices by giving them away to be recycled in an eco-friendly way, and participate in a giveaway of five brand new Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max smartphones. From November 30 to January 3, around four thousand people took part in the ecological event and donated over 11 thousand of unwanted devices to A1 stores all over Belarus.

Anyone could go green and get a chance to win one of the five new smartphones by making an account on the re.a1.by website, bringing their unwanted devices, including old mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches or e-book devices to any of A1 stores and exchanging them for special giveaway codes.

The majority of devices throughout the event was collected in Minsk, Grodno and Gomel. People from various cities and towns of Vitebsk Region, Grodno Region, Gomel Region, Mogilev Region, Brest Region and Minsk Region also actively participated in the event.

Five winners, residents of Brest, Grodno and Mogilev, were decided as the result of the giveaway. They became the owners of the new Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max smartphones.

A1 will send all of the collected devices over for environmentally safe disposal. It is important to note, that, despite the fact that the event has ended, in accordance with the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) strategy, all A1 stores still have their own equipment collection system in place to accept unwanted equipment for subsequent safe disposal. Operational and actively used gadgets pose no risk to humans or the environment. But once they end up in a landfill, they become toxic: the cobalt, lithium, nickel and cadmium compounds in them are released along with other unsafe chemicals that pollute water and soil. And the plastic, non-ferrous and precious metals in them are not recycled, either. That is why A1's ongoing system for collecting unwanted electrical equipment allows us to reduce our environmental impact on a global level by involving our customers in the process and developing their eco-friendly habits.