What's happening at Eazyfone?

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News Index

Please click below to view the following news articles in more detail:

• Eazyfone Helps UK Schools & Charities Raise £2.5m

  5th March 2008 - Eazyfone, the Macclesfield based mobile phone recycling group, has helped schools and charities across the UK to raise nearly £2.5m by sending in their old mobile phones. Under its brand banners, Fones4Schools and FoneAid, the business is enabling more than 6000 schools and charities to raise money and do their bit for the environment. Read More » Download doc. »

  Eazyfone recycles mobile phones sent in by the public in return for cash or Argos vouchers. More than 95% of phones received are either re-used or repaired and sold across the world.

  Commenting on its work with schools and charities, Vanda Murray, Executive Chair at Eazyfone, says: "Often schools and charities find themselves in a position where they need to raise additional funds to finance initiatives, be it new school equipment or the opening of a new hospital wing, but lack the resource and money to execute a campaign.

  "Our programmes offer a complete support service, helping groups to create, organise and promote the campaign. It's an easy and cost-effective way for schools and charities to raise money, and a great way for them to benefit the environment."

  There are approximately 90 million mobile phones lying redundant in the UK, and only around 20% of these phones are being recycled. Murray continues: "There is a massive opportunity for schools and charities to capture the value from these old phones, as every phone, regardless of its condition, is worth something."

  Eazyfone was identified as the top 5 fastest growing venture capitalist backed business last year by researcher Library House, having grown by 164% during 2007.

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• Envirocharities and Poundland Join Forces to Raise Funds for NSPCC

  8th May 2008 - Envirocharities, the online resource from Eazyfone for consumers to donate to their chosen charity by trading in old mobile phones, and value retailer Poundland have developed a joint initiative to raise money for Poundland's nominated charity, The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Read More » Download doc. »

  The joint venture involves the placement of Envirocharities collection envelopes in all of Poundland's 171 stores nationwide. Customers and staff can earn up to £180 by simply posting their old mobile phone for recycling and at least £3 is raised for the NSPCC for every phone sent in. Since its inception in March this year, the scheme has raised more than £3000.

  Commenting on the fundraising initiative, Poundland Marketing Manager, Harminder Sidhu says: "The scheme allows us to tackle a number of issues important to us. First and foremost we are raising money for a charity we feel we have an affinity with, as many of our customers have children. Secondly we are encouraging our customers and staff to recycle so helping the environment."

  NSPCC fundraiser, Adele Churchill, comments: "Schemes such as this are vital to the NSPCC being able to continue providing services for children and young people such as ChildLine and There4me.com. Recycling mobile phones is a great way to help us raise money and for people to do their bit for the environment."

  According to Eazyfone managing director, Nick Brown, most people have at least one old mobile phone lying around the house. He says: "Studies show there are about 90 million redundant mobile phones in the UK. We work with charities and businesses to turn these old phones in to useful funds for various charitable organisations."

  "We're delighted to be working with Poundland, and early signs indicate the scheme will be a great success."

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• Website owners get 1.5 million reasons to go green and promote mobile phone recycling

  7 June 2007 - The UK's leading recycling web site, envirofone.com, which has already paid out over £1.5 million in cash to members of the general public in the past twelve months, is calling on web site owners to go green and promote mobile phone recycling to their site visitors. Read More » Download doc. »

  By joining the envirofone.com affiliates programme they can offer a unique opportunity of getting paid to recycle and at the same time receive a small payment themselves.

  envirofone.com launched an affiliate programme six months ago and to date has over 350 web sites actively promoting the solution. It is looking to double its network in the next few months.

  Commenting on the network, Robert Fox, Head of envirofone.com said: "envirofone.com has really opened everyone's eyes up to mobile phone recycling particularly because so many people do not realise that an old mobile could be worth anything from £1 to £100. With 90 million old mobiles just waiting to be recycled that's over £1.6 billion worth of phones just lying around in drawers and cupboards."

  He continued: "envirofone.com is now looking for anyone with a web site to go green and start promoting mobile recycling to their site visitors by joining the affiliate network. We have such a range of companies on board from small to large and the results we see are phenomenal. The best thing about the network is that members get to offer money for recycling and at the same time are able to generate significant revenue for themselves. Definitely a win, win, win situation."

  The envirofone.com affiliate programme is operated through an independent third party affiliate network, Webgains, and pays members based on the number of transactions they generate each month when old mobiles are received. To join, potential affiliates can visit the envirofone.com web site or email affiliates@envirofone.com

  Existing affiliates include chooseaprize.com, freefivers.co.uk, mutualpoints.net, greasypalm.co.uk, aboutmyarea.co.uk, netfreestuff.co.uk, ipoints.co.uk, quidco.com, greatbritishsites.co.uk, moneywatchdog.com and moneysavingexpert.com.

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• National Fundraiser has its best month ever

  12 April 2007 - Fones4Schools is building on its growing reputation with the announcement that during March more redundant mobile phones were collected through their mobile phone recycling campaign than in any other month in the campaign's history. Read More » Download doc. »

  Over the past three years Eazyfone has seen tremendous growth by collecting increasing numbers of old mobile phones through their imaginative and innovative recycling brands, Fones4Schools, Foneaid and envirofone.com. Old mobiles are then refurbished and resold throughout the world to developing markets where they can be resold at a fraction of the cost of new handsets.

  Vanda Murray, OBE, Executive Chair of Eazyfone Group commented; "At Eazyfone we have used our marketing knowledge to build some tremendous mobile phone recycling brands that target all sectors of the market place from children with Fones4Schools to the consumer with envirofone.com. All of our brands aim to reward the individual for recycling and at the same time help the environment by extending the usable life of old mobile phones that are generally thrown away after just one year in the UK."

  She continued; "Being identified as one of the UK's fastest growing businesses is testament to the hard work that all the Eazyfone team put into the business. We all have a passion for recycling and our business mission is to become Europe's leading recycler for electronic devices."

  Eazyfone also recently achieved Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF) status in line with the WEEE regulations which came into force in the UK on 1 July 2007.

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• Senior board appointments underpin Eazyfone Group growth plans

  15 March 2007 - Eazyfone Group has announced two senior level appointments to its Board, strengthening the management of its rapidly expanding mobile phone recycling and re-use business.
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  Vanda Murray OBE has been appointed Chair of the Board of Directors. She has a highly successful track record in international and UK business development with over two decades' experience at a senior level across a range of industries in the UK, Europe, Asia and the USA.

  She was previously a Director of Ultraframe plc, until its takeover in 2006, prior to which she was Chief Executive of Blick plc. Awarded the OBE in 2002 for services to Industry and to Export, she currently holds non-executive roles with Carillion plc, The Manufacturing Institute and the North West Development Agency where she is Deputy Chair Elect.

  Dave Wilson joins the Board as Eazyfone Group's new Chief Financial Officer, bringing 20 years' operational and commercial experience in technology, telecoms and media businesses in Europe, North America and Asia. He was previously CFO at Technology plc, COO at Fujitsu and more recently CFO at Codemasters. Dave has international experience of MBOs, trade sales, IPOs as well as outsourcing and acquisitions.

  Pete Petrondas, CEO of Eazyfone Group, said: "I am delighted to welcome them both aboard. Vanda Murray and Dave Wilson have been appointed to help build the business we have created at Eazyfone Group. They are critical appointments in ensuring we keep up the pace and achieve our ambitious business goals. I am sure that they will both contribute hugely as they take us forward towards the next stage in our development".

  The Eazyfone Group has been trading since 2003. It has grown from 15 employees in 2004 to 85 and rising in 2007. Turnover has surged from 350k in 2004/2005 to £1.2 million in 2005/2006 and is aiming to exceed £5m for 2006/2007. It recently won the internet innovator award in the UKFast Internet awards 2006 for its pan European project envirofone.com.

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