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, this social orientation is the unique selling point of afb.
Despite chip crises and competition from numerous new data centers due to the AI boom, 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 the topic of inclusion as a 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 for 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 properly, it pays off.
Both employees and customers, as well as partners of afb, see this. Büchle explains that the IT sector still has potential for improvement, particularly regarding this social component. More inclusion and more investment from manufacturers are needed, especially concerning resource consumption.
They regularly measure their ecological and social impact. The ecological impact is calculated based on the difference in resource consumption between a new product and a refurbished product, focusing 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 life 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.
