Reconomy’s largest ever in-kind donation will help students develop their IT skills

Circular economy specialist, Reconomy, has donated an estimated £22,000 of redundant IT equipment to The Turing Trust, which helps support the education of children across Africa, Asia and disadvantaged communities in the UK.

Including kit such as laptops, computers, monitors, mobile phones and tablets, it is Reconomy’s largest in-kind donation since partnering with the charity in 2019 and means 2,016 students will now be able to learn vital IT skills.

The in-kind donation also brings environmental benefits with the re-use of the IT equipment offsetting 31 tonnes of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of planting 78 trees or offsetting the annual carbon footprints of three Britons – and the embodied energy savings created are enough to power eight UK homes for a year as well.

The Turing Trust is a charity, founded by the family of visionary mathematician Alan Turing, that seeks to support and enhance the education of children through a range of reused and recycled software and electronic devices.

Reconomy’s partnership with The Turing Trust is a key component of the Reconomy Social Value Programme (RSVP) which looks to drive social value in local and global communities, breaking down barriers to employment that many under-represented and disadvantaged groups face. The initiative has so far generated £2.2 million of pure social value since 2018.

Through reusing and recycling IT materials and equipment, the Turing Trust and donating partners like Reconomy, help contribute to a more circular economy, reducing the damaging environmental, and climate-change related consequences of material wastage and supply chain inefficiencies in the production of goods.

Diane Crowe, Head of Group Sustainability, at Reconomy, said: “The reuse and recycling of materials is central to Reconomy’s mission. We’re delighted to donate equipment that was no longer in use to the Turing Trust so that thousands more children will benefit from the opportunity to learn vital IT skills that are so crucial to their learning and development. Minimising waste is a core component to the Circular Economy and the positive environmental impact from this donation is evidence of why this transition is so important.”

Samuel Trench, Donations Manager at The Turing Trust, stated: “Generous donations from our partners are the lifeblood of our efforts to improve the education of children across the world. This IT equipment not only means we can support more children but also delivers on our environmental pledges too.”