Elettronica
eRecyclingCorps Expands Mobile Device Trade-In Solution to Europe
eRecyclingCorps (eRC), the leading provider of carrier-grade wireless device trade-in solutions, today announced its expansion into the European market with the founding of its international headquarters, located in Brussels, Belgium . eRC's international expansion is strengthened by the recent acquisition of Zone Impact, a leading manager of retail trade-in programs for mobile devices throughout Europe . On the heels of a $35 million investment by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, eRC is rapidly building a global network of carrier and retail partners offering consumers instant, in-store credit for wireless device trade-ins.
"eRecyclingCorps is now collecting devices throughout North America and Europe to supply developing markets with a new class of high-quality, affordable wireless devices," said David Edmondson , chief executive officer of eRC. "Less than one percent of phones produced worldwide are properly recycled-valuable technology is simply going to waste. We know that 58 percent of customers are interested in receiving an instant credit when trading in their device, and that 68 percent of them want to do so in a carrier store. Our solution aligns all the interests from the carrier and the retail partners to the European consumer to incentivize device trade-ins and create a new norm in purchasing wireless devices."
As a result of the Zone Impact acquisition, eRC now operates in eight European countries with a point-of-sale platform that has completed over 2.5 million trade-ins at more than 1,200 European stores, including Fnac, The Phone House and Media Markt. The acquisition gives eRC a decisive advantage in the European wireless market with WEEE-compliant operations and strategic partnerships with Belgacom, Mobistar and KPN among others. CEO
David Edmondson will relocate to
Brussels to build the European business at the new European headquarters, while founder and former CEO of Zone Impact,
Pascal Coenen , will join eRC as vice president of Strategic Account Operations.
"eRC's carrier-grade incentivized collection and renewal model has proven successful in subsidized markets and has resulted in a very high volume of device collection," Coenen said. "By combining with eRC, we now manage successful trade-in programs for major operator groups in Europe along with five of the eight largest operators in North America ."
eRC's proprietary web-based platform integrates directly into point-of-sale systems at carrier stores and retailers, where nearly 50 percent of all wireless devices are sold in the U.S. and in Europe . Since 2010, eRC has completed more than 4 million wireless device trades in North America alone.
About eRecyclingCorps
eRecyclingCorps (eRC) is the world's leading provider of carrier-grade wireless device trade-in solutions. Founded in 2009 to provide a scalable model to repurpose and reuse perceptually obsolete devices, eRC partners with global wireless carriers and retailers to provide instant, in-store trade-in credit. eRC renews devices to stringent certification standards and sells them to consumers in developing countries at an affordable price thereby bridging the digital divide. eRC will complete more than 5 million wireless trade-ins worldwide in 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.erecyclingcorps.com.