Flight Centre Travel Group powers sustainability initiative

The Australian travel retailer Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), has partnered with the charity LiteHaus International to donate and repurpose end-of-life technology devices to vulnerable communities across Australia. The partnership will see FCTG managing corporate e-waste in the form of laptops, tablets and other devices, by transforming them into opportunities to help bridge the digital divide. Jack Growden, CEO of LiteHaus, said: “Roughly 90% of corporate e-waste in Australia ends up in landfill, with more than 1,000 laptops globally thrown away every second. Instead of throwing them away, we need to redirect end-of-life devices away from landfill and into the hands of the tens of thousands of students in need across Australia.” FCTG’s recently appointed global sustainability officer, Michelle Degenhardt hopes other corporations will follow suit once they see how easy it is to adopt processes to transform e-waste into opportunities. Degenhardt stated: “There is no cost to corporates who donate anywhere in the chain, so it really is a fantastic chance to give back and contribute to the important conversation around sustainability.” FCTG has donated 355 laptops, 25 desktops, and 10 servers, since 14 February, to LiteHaus who will distribute to First Nations and other vulnerable communities across the state of the Northern Territory. This initiative further acknowledges FCTG’s commitment to reconciliation as travel retailer delivered its two-year Reconciliation Action Plan earlier this week.