Dixon Stores Group International (DSGi) and its logistics company DHL have agreed to work with FRN members to ensure that appliances suitable for re-use are set aside for refurbishment.
This alliance is important as it enables us to encourage reuse and enhance the good reputation of the Dixons Group.
Sarah Geddes, DSGi
Each of the 14 regional distribution centres for DSGi's nationwide “takeback-on-delivery” service has now partnered with an approved re-use centre (ARC) run by an FRN member. Each ARC is now taking in between 70 and 200 items per week.
It is expected that the deal, agreed with FRN's trading subsidiary FRN Enterprises Ltd, will see more than 100,000 electrical items re-used each year.
Sarah Geddes operations director for group reverse logistics of DSGi said: “Since the introduction of the WEEE legislation in July, we have been keen to play an active role in encouraging customers to recycle their old electrical items responsibly. The formation of this alliance is important as it enables us to encourage reuse and enhance the good reputation of the Dixons Group.”
Arrangements
The new arrangements, which have been tried and tested since the WEEE Regulations came into force in July, will see DSGi delivery staff asking customers whether the product they are replacing is still functional.
If so, customers will be informed their product is being passed onto the local FRN organisation to be refurbished.
Items will be labelled to allow distribution site staff to sort returned goods like fridges, cookers, washing machines and televisions into those to be re-used and those to be sent for recycling. FRN members will collect the equipment from the DSGi distribution centres.
Sean Hodges, head of environmental solutions at DHL, said: “What's so exciting about this project is how it shows that benefiting local communities and delivering real corporate responsibility need not be costly. By utilizing the existing supply chain infrastructure, we have been able to implement an efficient reverse logistics solution that is environmentally friendly in terms of reduced road miles, fuel use and emissions.”
FRN Enterprises has already co-ordinated re-use partnerships between producer compliance schemes collecting WEEE from designated collection points and the 400 FRN member groups (see letsrecycle.com story).
Equipment refurbished by its members is supplied to people who cannot afford to purchase new items – as a result, FRN said such activities did not threaten sales of new goods for companies like DSGi.
Craig Anderson of FRN Enterprises Ltd said: “We see this as a strong endorsement of our members' services by both DSGi and DHL; since July we have worked together to design and implement a mutually agreeable re-use service that involves the commitment and action of all parties. This type of structured approach is maximising the amount of electrical and electronic appliances that can be reused through a nationally prescribed agreement dovetailing with local relations between site operators and reusers.”
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