1. Welcome

It is been more than 15 years since, in 2005, several of the main companies in the consumer electronics sector decided to come together to give a collective response to their responsibilities regarding the management of waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE), as established by the regulatory framework developed in Royal Decree 208/2005.

This desire led to the birth of Ecotic Foundation, a non-profit organisation that has been growing year after year as the only one of its kind in the electronics recycling sector. And, personally, I have had the privilege of taking part in this development, as a member of the organisation’s Board of Trustees since the outset and, today, as its president.

My connection to Ecotic has been constant and close: from the outset and the initial steps like the Integrated Management System under the management of Joan Riba, its first General Manager, to the intensive growth and consolidation stage led by Andrés Martínez. On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to these two great professionals for their service, commitment and dedication to the Foundation’s project.

Although there were moments of difficulty and uncertainty during those years, they cannot be compared with the situation we experienced in 2020, in which we faced a health emergency that had a big impact on the economy and on business activities, and continues to dictate the global agenda.

Despite all this, Ecotic has again managed to maintain its constant growth trend. Andreu Vilà and the Foundation’s entire team have well-demonstrated their professionalism, teamwork abilities and innovation capacity in order to adapt to all circumstances, being these keys to success in such a situation of uncertainty.

This ability to adapt is indeed the root cause of Ecotic’s success. In a constantly evolving sector, governed by changes in the law at international and national level, it is fundamental to have a heightened awareness, and an ability to innovate in order to make progress, in response to the changing requirements of the rapid development of technology and the growing awareness of everything related to environmental conservation.

There is undoubtedly a link between the evolution of consumption habits, with a growing interest in environmental issues aggravated by the global climate crisis, and the development of technology, which, although it contributes to the progress and well-being of society, has in turn taken up the challenge of reducing its impact on the environment.

Ecotic has managed to evolve with the spirit of the age, working both on efficient and transparent management, which are its identity, and on promoting information and awareness initiatives that help put the proper environmental management of waste and the circular economy at its centre, where they should be if we want to progress towards a sustainable development of modern societies.

Now, more than ever before, we need cooperation between all stakeholders who depend on the recovery-recycling sector for their production model, which should be based on solidarity, but also on realism with respect to the market’s trends and contexts. Without this we will not be able to consolidate a model that enables us to reach the ambitious environmental goals promoted at European level.

For all these reasons I have strong confidence that Ecotic will continue to be a cornerstone of this change of paradigm. And it will do this by growing, accepting new challenges and strengthening alliances to contribute to making the green economy the driver of the economic and social recovery on which the future of our planet depends.

Without a doubt, 2020 will be remembered for the unforeseen Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a global crisis, unprecedented in recent times. A year to forget, but one we will never forget. We have all been involved in an extraordinarily serious situation, full of uncertainty and conditions that changed constantly, in line with restrictions in the economic, social and even personal lives of each and every one of us. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all of us, without exception, and in some cases, unfortunately, we had to cope with the loss of our loved ones, the suspension of our jobs and isolation from family and friends.

All of this has led to a profound change in the paradigm of human and work relationships, which, although they were initially because of the abrupt interruption to our routines due to the declaration of the state of emergency alarm, they have gradually turned into a new approach, not only to the way we work, but, ultimately, in the way we relate and live.

And despite this complex and uncertain context, Fundación Ecotic has continued to grow. Although the temporary widespread closure of recycling centres and household appliance stores had an undeniably impact on the collection of WEEE, the restart of the activity led to a rapid recovery that enabled us to close the year with even higher figures than those of 2019.

So we can congratulate ourselves and feel proud of having achieved, in this uncertain year 2020, an all-time high of WEEE managed, with around 115,000 tons of waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) financed and managed through our Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO).

This new milestone was possible thanks to the trust of our members and partners, but especially to our team’s ability to adapt and to their commitment. In the face of adversity, and with the need to adapt in order to continue to offer the service with the quality standards we strive for, we were able to remain united despite physical distance, innovate in the face of challenges and reinforce the collaborative spirit that has always defined Ecotic.

Unfortunately, circumstances did not allow us to celebrate our 15th birthday and enjoy the event with you all in person as we would have liked. But we hope that we will be able to get together again very soon, with our members and partners, and celebrate new milestones such as passing the million tons of WEEE managed since starting the business in 2005, which we foresee to reach during the summer months.

After these first 15 years, we have strengthened our position until becoming a benchmark company in the electronics recycling sector, both in our country and in Europe. We are now facing the challenge of assuming a larger share of responsibility in the necessary development of a sector which is one of the key pillars of the transition towards a circular economy that is more efficient in the use of available resources.

Within the framework of the green recovery initiatives being promoted in Europe inspired by the 2030 Agenda of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, we have the opportunity, to contribute to a bona fide transformation of our societies towards a new model of prosperity based on a carbon-neutral economy and preserved biodiversity, generating employment and quality of life for citizens.

We are convinced that the recovery and recycling sector has a lot to say and to contribute in this transformation. Ecotic invites you to accompany us in this exciting present and future challenge, joining forces to consolidate the circular economy as a shared responsibility, that will enable us to guarantee the environmental and economic sustainability of the production system, and the opportunity to hand down a better future to the coming generations.