ZOLO reveals its plans to bring its recycling technology to the Philippines to relieve the amount of electric waste (e-waste) produced. 

The United Nations has estimated that by 2030, there will be around 74 million metric tonnes of e-waste. The alarming part in that was in 2019, a UN report stated that the Philippines is among Southeast Asia’s top e-waste generators it produced around 3.9 kg of e-waste per capita. 

By definition, e-waste is any electrical or electronic equipment that was discarded. This includes working and broken items that are thrown away. They will then be considered dangerous when they emit toxic chemicals.

To curb the situation, some companies leveraged the opportunity to appease these problems by further embracing digital technologies. An example of this would be ZOLO—an Australian tech recycling startup that came to be at the height of the pandemic.

ZOLO started as a Facebook campaign that encouraged Australians to declutter—going house-to-house in Sydney to gather old pieces of technology to recycle. From there, the company has grown as a purpose-led startup for recycling that is now being used by big companies. 

Given its success internationally, the company recently shared plans to expand its services in the Philippines.

Purpose-Driven Sustainability

As a trusted brand for tech recycling by global brands across the world, ZOLO prides itself in its Single Touch Recycling program—which provides a secure, sustainable, and convenient way of managing e-waste.

“In light of COVID, the demand for technology and the fact that there isn’t really a solution for households as to what to do with old technology. We started the business from that insight, and that propelled us to explore it a bit further,” ZOLO CEO and Founder Franz Phillip Siasat said.

“What we have established here in Australia, we have created a solution for businesses to get rid of their tech in a way that’s sustainable, secure, and good for the company as well,” he added. 

The company is set to extend its services to the Philippines by setting up a tech facility in Santa Rosa, Laguna this year. By introducing their tech recycling solution to the country, they can provide benefits for Filipino businesses, as well as communities. 

How ZOLO Can Help Businesses in the Philippines

Businesses can benefit from what ZOLO offers since it includes a rebate program that allows business owners to maximize the value of their old devices. This amount can then be spent on the procurement of new devices. 

“What we’re passionate about and what works for us as a business as well as creating opportunities for other people to have access to technology,” Siasat said. “And that’s by working with companies, securing their old tech, and recycling it in a way that creates a platform for other people to be able to access technology in a more cost-effective way.”

“But I think that’s the beauty behind the platform that we’ve built, and also the market that we’ll soon be operating in, which is in the Philippines. [There are] plenty of opportunities to implement new solutions to potential problems that we could solve as a company because that’s the most important thing for us,” he emphasized. 

As the company looks forward to building partnerships and a community in the Philippines, this can mean a lot for local businesses wanting to eliminate old devices. By learning more about tech recycling, local businesses can also find it easier to adapt to more sustainable practices with their operations.