Action on behalf of the environment is always seen as something at a global level

Jean-Louis Cissé, Commercial and Development Director

For many in the market, the area of environmental preservation and the management of electronic and IT waste is a relatively new area. But the scope for making mistakes is limited. By anticipating both the letter and the spirit of the directive since 1995, ATF has itself adopted ethical principles which govern its actions and their practical application.
By promoting re-use, the European directive shows the approach to take. But it is necessary to rely on the ethics of each participant, in order that a praiseworthy intention does not lead to a recreation of the environmental danger elsewhere in the world. Whatever the contribution to environmental protection, its impact should always be judged on a worldwide scale, by taking account of economic disparities and realities. Actually it comes down to plain common sense. How does the action carried out actually contribute to the objective that you set for yourself and is it consistent with the values that you lay claim to?

At ATF we are therefore particularly careful about the quality of the equipment we offer for resale and its destination. For secondhand sales, we prefer end-user customers inside the European Union, because this group of 25 countries is now required to comply with environmental directives. For recycling, all the materials separation operations are done exclusively in France. The process is complete when we have re-usable quantities which can be reintroduced into an industrial manufacturing process.