Seminar series
Helmholtz Sustainability Talks
The Helmholtz Working Group Sustainability Forum cordially invites you to the 4th round of the Helmholtz Sustainability Talks seminar series on 28 October 2025 from 14:00 to 15:00. In each seminar we want to focus on a specific area of sustainability, share valuable experiences and facilitate questions.
This time we will focus on the following topic: A second life for IT devices at the UFZ - from resource and climate protection to social impact. Sustainability does not end with procurement - the UFZ takes a holistic approach to resource and climate protection as well as social responsibility. Since 2012, the UFZ has been donating its used IT hardware to the non-profit inclusion organisation AfB gGmbH. By refurbishing old notebooks, PCs, monitors, smartphones, tablets, thin clients, servers and printers, the service life of the devices is extended, some can be reused and the rest recycled.
In figures: In 2024, 25 per cent of the 1,279 devices collected at the UFZ were reused after refurbishment, while the remainder was used to recover raw materials through recycling. As a result, the UFZ saved 48.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, 347,362 litres of water, 188.7 MWhel of primary energy and 19.8 tonnes of raw materials - and at the same time financed part of the jobs for people with disabilities. A practical example of how ecological and social sustainability go hand in hand.
This lecture presents the ecological and social aspects of IT remanufacturing by AfB gGmbH, uses this example to explain how the life cycle perspective can be integrated into procurement, and introduces the long-standing partnership between UFZ and AfB. The presentation will be held in German."
About the speaker
Benjamin Wendorf is working group leader of the End Device Service (EPS) in the Scientific and Commercial Data Processing (WKDV) at the UFZ. The WKDV is the central IT department and supports research and administration with comprehensive IT services. Together with his working group, he is responsible for the selection, provision, support and disposal of all end devices - from laptops and computers to terminals and multifunctional devices - and focusses on efficient and sustainable solutions in IT operations.
Thomas Richter is Partner Manager of AfB gGmbH in the Eastern region. He is responsible for the acquisition and support of partner companies as well as for tenders and projects in the field of IT remanufacturing. AfB - Social & Green IT - is Europe's largest non-profit IT company and combines resource conservation with social commitment by employing people with disabilities.