Recycling and refurbishing electronics for circular economics

Human resources are at the heart of how AfB Group operates. This was the first role that Yvonne Cvilak, its managing director, took when she joined the company in 2012. AfB Group, which was founded in 2004 by Cvilak’s father, Paul, is an IT company with a social mission. It takes over used IT hardware, destroys the data on it safely, refurbishing it for resale, and contributing to circular economics in the process. The company is also defined by its inclusive hiring policy, which emphasises bringing people with disabilities into the workforce. 

Today, AfB Group is Europe’s largest non-profit IT company. It has grown from 10 employees at one location to around 700 employees at 20 locations in five European countries, and works with more than 1,600 companies and authorities. About half of its employees are living with a physical or mental disability. At first, the concept behind AfB Group was met with scepticism. “My father initially struggled to find investors,” says Cvilak, “but he was not deterred, showed courage, innovation and also invested privately to realise his vision”. The global refurbished electronics market is now valued at $86 billion and is expected to reach $168 billion by 2029.

AfB provides a service on multiple levels. After collecting IT equipment, it deletes the data in an audit-proof manner. Devices are refurbished and resold to the B2B sector, or direct to consumers through a network of 13 local stores, a webshop and other online platforms; it has sold more than 1.2 million refurbished notebooks since founding. If the device can’t be refurbished, parts are recycled to recover raw materials. Companies and authorities that hand over their used equipment, receive documentation to confirm which resources have been saved through reuse. “These unique features, coupled with a strong price-performance ratio and high service quality, enable us to compete successfully with other providers,” says Cvilak. Additionally, AfB’s mission – as a “social and green” IT company – has enabled it to carve a particular space for itself within the wider IT refurbishment market, helping build a supportive, long-term community of customers.

Cvilak admits she has a different management style to her father’s at AfB, focusing on innovative approaches and new technology, as well as building out the company into new locations. “Our focus is now on optimising our processes, with digitalisation and AI playing a key role,” she says. She continues to put great emphasis on upholding AfB’s inclusive and diverse corporate culture, “and on continuously adapting our business model and leadership culture to the changing needs of the market”. 

Cvilak measures impact at AfB through a range of metrics. One of these is the number of people with disabilities it employs: a key objective is to create 500 jobs for people with disabilities. It also scrutinises its environmental impact in great detail. The reuse rates – the devices that are able to have a second life – is particularly important, as are the energy savings compared to new products being manufactured. In 2023 AfB processed 666,000 IT and mobile devices, taking 70 per cent back to market. “In this way, we actively contribute to extending the life cycle of the devices,” says Cvilak. “The remaining devices were professionally recycled to recover raw materials and, compared to new production, this recycling process helped to save 66,000 tons of CO2 emissions and 480 million litres of water, among other things.” For Cvilak, this not only strengthens its profile in the market, but positions it as a valuable partner for companies looking to meet its Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directives (CSRD).

AfB may be growing, but family values remain embedded in the operation. Cvilak’s sister also works at the company, and many have been there since the beginning. “I have known some colleagues for more than 20 years,” says Cvilak. “That also strengthens the bond between all employees.” It wasn’t inevitable that she would end up leading it, but she is proud to do so. “It just happened bit by bit,” she says. “And it feels right for me.”