Project Facts
Location
Austria
Project Volume
100.000-500.000 EUR
Applied Financing Solutions
Private Equity, Crowdfunding
Project Dates
Start: 2009
In operation since/from: 2009
The Story
Staggering amounts of resources and energy are used for the production of every single electronic device; countless existing devices are discarded long before their active life could end and the digital gap keeps growing. Compuritas has been working to change that. It takes over business IT devices from companies, provides professional data erasure and renews them for further use.
Over the years, Compuritas has become an innovative game changer providing high-quality IT equipment to schools, NGOs and individuals at a fair price. It made it possible for refurbished IT devices to be sold to Austrian schools on a state procurement platform, won over many business partners for re-use of their devices and immediately started helping Austrian pupils to obtain a device during the COVID-19 crisis when Austria became painfully aware of its own digital gap.
Moreover, the impact of this social entrepreneurships is social-ecological as it aims to both increase access to education and to raise awareness on the topics of grey energy, electronic waste and circular economy. Compuritas is a great example of resource preservation as each refurbished computer saves up to 11 kg chemicals, 120 kg fossil fuels, 750 l water and 550 kg CO2 emissions, compared to the production of a new device.
Success Factor | Hero Moment
2018: Winning Austria State Prize - Special Prize Resource Efficiency for HaaS (Hardware as a Service): first framework for re-use hardware renting to schools.
2020: #weiterlernen initiative - The COVID-19 crisis brought social businesses, NGOs and the Ministry of Education together to support remote learning. Compuritas is the main coordinator of hardware donations and refurbisher of devices for more than 1000 children from low-income Austrian families in this project.
Submitter
Compuritas GmbH, Austria
Contact Mail
info@compuritas.at
Website
www.compuritas.at
