With over 20 locations in 5 European countries, afb social & Green IT has grown significantly since its founding as a start-up in 2004. What makes this company special is its employees. Nearly half of the 650 staff members are people with disabilities. For CEO Daniel Büchle, the social aspect is afb's Unique Selling Point (USP) - its distinctive feature.
Despite challenges from chip crises, the construction of many data centers due to the AI boom, and competition from other companies, afb social & Green IT is growing profitably and even generating surpluses that benefit the employees. This IT company operates as a non-profit GmbH.
We see inclusion as an added value, especially regarding the shortage of skilled workers, particularly in the IT sector. Especially in large cities and regions with low unemployment, there is a greater need to open up, including all employers.
Even though inclusion requires effort, as Daniel Büchle knows, measures such as training for managers, removing barriers, active listening, and adapting workplaces are important steps.
If you take it seriously and live it correctly, it pays off.
Both the employees and the customers and partners of afb see this. This social component is also an aspect of the potential for improvement in the IT sector, as Büchle explains. More inclusion and more investment from manufacturers are needed, especially regarding resource consumption.
They measure their sustainable and social impact at regular intervals. The ecological effect is calculated by the difference in resource consumption between a new product and a refurbished product. The focus is primarily on raw materials, water, and energy.
By 2025, Büchle states, afb social & Green IT will have avoided approximately 70,000 tons of CO2 emissions and saved over 5 million liters of water through hardware refurbishment. They also calculate the reuse rate: How many of the devices that arrive are actually reused? According to CEO Daniel Büchle, the current rate stands at 71%.
The social impact that the company believes makes it so successful is measured by its effect on employees. An internal survey asks how the situation of employees with disabilities has improved since their employment at afb social. It compares their previous living situation with the current one, focusing on self-esteem and financial situation.
Daniel Büchle explains that in the last survey, 60% of employees with disabilities reported an improvement in their lives since joining afb social & Green IT.
