Buy where VRG co-finances the e-recycling circuit
"Close the loop" - with this call, SENS and SLRS are promoting their broad-based campaign for more solidarity with manufacturers and importers who help to support the e-recycling loop via the advanced recycling fee (VRG).
This finances and enables the careful, professional handling of end-of-life appliances and lamps in the SENS e-recycling circuit. However, discarded appliances for which no VRG was charged at the time of purchase burden the system with an amount in the millions.
Swiss consumers who buy their electrical and electronic household appliances, luminaires and lamps from SENS and SLRS partners and return them at the end of their useful life to one of these partners or to a SENS collection point "close the loop". This is because the SENS and SLRS partners charge an advance recycling fee (VRG) at the time of purchase, which is used to finance the take-back. However, old appliances for which no recycling fee has been charged place an unfair burden on the e-recycling system.
VRG ensures convenient, free disposal
More than 600 manufacturers, dealers and importers in Switzerland already claim VRG when selling an appliance and feed it into the e-recycling loop. In this way, they finance an extremely dense and convenient take-back system for end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment, lamps and luminaires for consumers. This system is organized and managed by the two foundations SENS and SLRS.
Do not contribute to the costs, but still benefit
Since the take-back systems are voluntary industry solutions, companies are free to participate. Many importers who import electrical and electronic equipment, lamps and luminaires into Switzerland do not charge the VRG. However, through channels such as municipal collection points and retailers, their discarded appliances often end up in the SENS take-back system - i.e. they are disposed of at the expense of the paying system participants.
SENS has been trying for some time to get the "non-system participants" to join. Some of the Addressed have so far explicitly spoken out against it. SENS assumes that this will result in a loss of around 1 million francs for its e-recycling circuit. The purchase of equipment abroad, where VRG is also not levied, results in further losses estimated at two to three million Swiss francs (study "Shopping tourism and online retailing").
With the VRG, an efficient, area-wide disposal system is maintained. Raw materials from old appliances can be recovered (between 1990 and 2015, for example, 17,000 tons of aluminum, 530,000 tons of iron and steel, 28,000 tons of copper and 103 kilos of gold were collected in the SENS e-recycling circuit). E-waste is largely recycled in Switzerland and not exported to countries whose quality and environmental guidelines for scrapping do not correspond to those of Switzerland.
The nationwide campaign runs in two waves in spring (March) and fall (November). It consists of TV and cinema spots, a microsite, posters, online advertising, and social media campaigns. The campaign centers on the message "Close the circle" ("Boucle la boucle," "Chiudi il cerchio"). It was graphically implemented by the Basel-based design agency Suan Conceptual Design. The films were produced by the company Fadeout.
Responsible at SENS: Heidi Luck (Managing Director), Sabrina Bjöörn (Head of Marketing and Communications). Responsible at Suan Conceptual Design: André Konrad (project management, consulting), Susanne Hartmann (concept, graphics). Concept and text: Andreas Hornung. Film: Fadeout. Photo: Lea Meienberg.
