Trade-in service MediaMarkt is sustainable and beneficial for the consumer

MediaMarkt, in collaboration with Foxway, the European leader in circular technology, then ensures the correct recycling of the returned products.

Unburdening customers and contributing to sustainability

In 2022, MediaMarkt introduced the BetterWay initiative to contribute to a more sustainable world as Europe’s leading electronics retailer. “With BetterWay, the customer is helped to make sustainable choices when purchasing electronics. These are products that have been tested by independent institutes for sustainability in every phase of their lifespan: production, useful life and recyclability. This trade-in service also fits in with MediaMarkt’s aim to unburden customers when purchasing electronics and to help them make sustainable choices. As of today, this trade-in service is also available in the Benelux in collaboration with Foxway.

MediaMarkt expects to make an important contribution to the circular economy and thus to the reduction of electronic waste and CO2 emissions,” says Milad Ahmadi Movaghir, Director Services & Solutions Benelux.

Mikkel Frid, Foxway’s Sourcing Director confirms that: “We are excited about working with Europe’s largest electronics retailer. Together with MediaMarkt, we can scale up and really make a difference. By having the devices traded in at MediaMarkt repaired and refurbished by us for direct reuse, we not only save the consumer’s wallet, but above all also the environment.”

How does the trade-in service work

Exchanging is very simple, explains Ahmadi Movaghir. “Customers can return used devices to MediaMarkt stores and immediately receive a credit for their next purchase. But customers can also have their used electronics valued online. Then they will receive a gift card that they can use in our stores and online to buy new electronics. The credit amount is based on the trade-in and the condition of the device.”

You can now trade in for products such as Smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, Windows laptops, MacBooks, iMacs, Mac Mini and Mac Pro, Chromebooks, photo cameras, lenses and gaming consoles. “Our partner Foxway is refurbishing these devices and putting them back into circulation. In addition to professional data removal, this means smartphones, tablets, etc. are repaired and upgraded. This saves energy and many resources that would be consumed in the production of new devices at the expense of the environment. In this way, you as a customer reduce your own carbon footprint.”

EU Sustainable Consumption Pledge

MediaMarkt, as part of the German MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, takes sustainability very seriously. The ambitious sustainability goals in the field of climate and environmental protection have recently been reaffirmed by renewing participation in the EU Sustainable Consumption Pledge. Since the introduction of BetterWay, the company has already achieved quite a few concrete results. “The results in the field of sustainability are good, but we are not there yet. There are still more steps to take, but as MediaMarkt Saturn Group we repaired more than 3.2 million devices in 2022, which is 600,000 more than in the previous financial year. This allowed us to reduce electronic waste by approximately 8,700 tons. In addition, CO2 emissions from our own operations have been reduced by 87.5% since 2015 and we have reduced our energy consumption by 12% since fiscal year 2018/19. Renewable energy accounts for 90% of our electricity consumption. Furthermore, 98.8% of our direct private label suppliers have now successfully undergone external sustainability audits and as a result we can now offer 3,207 sustainable BetterWay products in 25 categories. This is two and a half times as many as a year ago. We are clearly on the BetterWay,” concludes Ahmadi Movaghir.