Austrian technology refurbishment-scale up Refurbed has hit the milestone of €1bn in sales across all of its seven markets, including Austria, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Denmark and The Netherlands, solidifying its place as one of the leading marketplaces for refurbished technology in Europe.
Refurbed was established in 2017 by Peter Windischhofer, Kilian Kaminski and Jürgen Riedl in Vienna, Austria. Since then Austria and Ireland rank the highest per capita in Europe when it comes to buying more sustainable technology from the marketplace.
Compared to the enormous amount of waste generated by purchasing new technology, refurbed offers users a more environmentally friendly alternative. Refurbed has experienced tremendous growth since inception in 2017, with this year to date showing over 2.5x year-on-year growth, with an over 150% increase in sales. This follows a trend seen in previous for the company, with similar figures recorded for 2021 vs 2022.
This growth has shown that the European consumer is becoming increasingly aware of the problematic working conditions, growing e-waste productions and CO2-intensive supply chains involved in buying new tech devices. A recent study commissioned by refurbed and conducted by the renowned Fraunhofer Austria Research Institute found, among other things, that professional recycling of electrical appliances can save up to 83% of CO2 when compared to buying all new.
Additionally, refurbed is growing its leadership presence within Europe. Last week Co-Founder, Kilian Kaminski, was appointed as one of the newest board members of EUREFAS, the European Refurbishment Association. The aim of this association is to create standards within the refurbishment industry and promote sustainable consumption across Europe.
Speaking on the announcement today, Kilian Kaminski, co-founder of refurbed says: “Now more than ever, it is important that consumers across the globe think consciously when it comes to purchasing goods. At refurbed we see this new milestone as a strong sign that sustainability and the circular economy are of mounting importance across our markets”.
Peter Windischhofer, co-founder of refurbed adds: “We have a clear vision here at refurbed, we want to make consumption more sustainable and offer a better alternative to buying new devices. Although the path to sustainability is a long one, the fact that our offering is so well received across Europe shows us that we are on the right track to making our world more sustainable”.
