“Then all you have to do is send in the device and collect the cash. A two-year old iPhone is worth up to CHF 300,” explains Marius Schlegel. Another scheme that rescues these mobile phones from oblivion is “Mobile Aid”: through this scheme, all revenue Swisscom generates from old devices is donated to SOS Childrens’ Villages.
Either way, Swisscom sends all the devices it receives to “Réealiseé”, an organisation that specialises in reintegrating income support recipients into working life. Firstly, the organisation deletes all personal data. Once scrupulously reconditioned, all working devices are resold as second-hand mobile phones – the remainder is recycled by Solenthaler Recycling, a company in Eastern Switzerland, that also cooperates with a non-profit company. Recycling lets the raw materials and metals be reused in a new life cycle. “And here absolutely every device counts, no matter how old or defective it is,” adds Marius Schlegel. So old devices can either be donated in any Swisscom Shop or combined with the “Mobile Bonus” cash-in scheme: once the customer calculates the value of their device via Mobile Bonus, they can either give all or part of the sum to “Mobile Aid”, thus making a donation to SOS Children’s Villages. Marius Schlegel: “This gives us all the chance to do a lot of good, both for children in need and to preserve nature.” All you need to do is reach into those drawers and dusty boxes. You might even find it fun, says Marius Schlegel with a grin. “After all, every device evokes lots of memories for us. Going over them again can be quite an experience.”