Sustainability begins at home
Meet MTR – our recycling-based business that’s ahead of the sustainability game
As part of our sustainability journey, we at Exertis are talking a lot about how we can modify our daily operations to be better for our people and the planet. One topic that cannot be overstated is the benefit of recycling. Our team at MTR are masters of recycling tech to give it a second life, while helping the environment and preventing e-waste at the same time.
Who is MTR?
MTR was established in 2011 and is a part of Exertis UK. Its main purpose is to deliver market-leading refurbishment, repair and trade-in services. Working with key brands such as Samsung, Huawei, and Apple, MTR is dedicated to refurbishing second hand and used tech to the highest possible standard. This reduces the number of devices that are thrown away, combatting e-waste, as well as stopping used devices from rotting in landfills – which wastes precious metals and materials. In fact, of all the devices MTR receive, only 1% are deemed unfixable and are disposed of. MTR is thought to have recycled around 500 tons of mobile phones so far.
The MTR ecosystem
The MTR ecosystem is run and managed through its internal bespoke management system, Halo. This controls all the information flowing through MTR, and acts as an inventory, finance, sales, and shipping system. All devices processed through MTR go through this process, which is designed to ensure that tech is refurbished to the highest possible quality, ready to be sold on to the customer.
Trade in
MTR receives used devices from one of its many trade-in programmes across different consumer and B2B propositions
Goods in
The devices are then received and booked in through Halo.
Quality control
The products are put through a diagnostic check to account for any flaws and areas where refurbishment is needed.
Remanufacturing
The device is prepared for the secondary sales market, using the Halo system to work out whether it’s better to refurbish the device to a higher grade, or leave it as it is.
Sale
MTR works across multiple different sales channels to sell its refurbished and second-hand devices to a new end-user.
Market-leading partnerships
As part of its work refurbishing and re-selling devices for a more sustainable second life, MTR gets the opportunity to work with a wide range of brands. This includes a partnership with Samsung, with MTR performing Samsung-accredited repairs on their devices. This consists of a 110-seat electrostatic discharge compliant (ESD) workshop that’s fully audited and accredited by Samsung, all technicians having completed Samsung training to full accreditation. Official OEM replacement parts are ordered directly from Samsung, with a stock of main components held onsite.
About its partnership with MTR, Gareth Hobson, Head of Business Operations at Samsung UK Customer Experience, said, “Right throughout their organisation, MTR represents Samsung UK with professionalism, courtesy, and loyalty to our brand and values.”
MTR also work with devices from other top brands such as Apple and Huawei, and utilise popular secondary sales channels like Amazon, GiffGaff, and eBay. They also have their own DTC channels, 4gadgets and Aznu, that specialise in the resale of refurbished mobile phones and other devices.
What MTR customers get
MTR provides its customers with an end-to-end solution, with every process along the way as sustainable and efficient as possible. This includes free returns, postage, and shipping, the acceptance of damaged devices for refurbishment, warranty cover, a data deletion process, and – importantly – the reuse and recycle of every device they receive.
On top of all this, customers who purchase tech that has been through MTR’s rigorous testing and refurbishment protocol can rest assured they will be getting a device that is the best possible quality. This includes its Samsung-accredited in-house OEM repair centre, certified data wipe, device destruction, battery diagnostics and replacement, FRP/Google Lock removal, and more.
Meaningful connections
Throughout its operations, MTR has made close partnerships and received several accreditations that confirm its commitment to high quality and sustainability. These include an Environmental Management System certification, an Environment Agency registration, and an SSE Asset Disposal & Information accreditation, to name a few. Furthermore, MTR has also partnered with the Woodland Trust, giving the Trust a £20k donation to symbolise its dedication to the environment, and supporting everything the Woodland Trust does to keep the planet green.
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With the increasing focus on sustainability, MTR plays a key role in driving a circular economy by extending the useful life of mobile devices.
MTR is proud to support the reduction of global e-waste and the mining of precious metals used in new tech through optimising the lifecycle and usage of the devices we receive.“
James Goddard | MTR Managing Director | UK