SK Telecom has launched an e-waste resource-circulation campaign involving employees and the next generation ahead of Resource Circulation Day.

SKT said on Thursday it held 'RE:FINE Day' on Sept. 3 with employees, their families and children at its in-house daycare center.

RE:FINE Day was created to put SKT's circular-economy strategy, called RE:FINE, into practice in employees' daily lives and expand it into environmental education for the next generation. SKT established the RE:FINE strategy last year to manage resource flows more efficiently based on reuse, recycling and saving.

The campaign consists of an e-waste resource-circulation program for employees and their families and environmental education for children at the in-house daycare center. The campaign was also held at Yuhan-Kimberly, an ESG partnership partner of SKT.

Employees bring unused smartphones, feature phones, tablets and laptops to the headquarters. Leman, a social enterprise that handles IT device disposal, collects the devices and deletes their data. The collected devices go through inspection and sorting. Reusable products are reused or remanufactured, while devices that are difficult to use are recycled into parts and raw materials.

SKT evaluates the condition and utility value of the collected devices and supports vulnerable children with a corresponding number of remanufactured digital devices through the National Council of Community Childcare Centers. Participants receive a data deletion report, carbon-neutrality practice points and a donation certificate. SKT will also run an online campaign through Sept. 30 for employees and families who find it difficult to take part on site.

SKT also conducted resource-circulation education for children at its in-house daycare center. The children learned about resource circulation and environmental protection through classes using environmental storybooks, picture puzzles and making upcycled flowerpots.

Uhm Jong-hwan (엄종환), head of sustainable management at SKT, said, "Even IT devices sleeping in drawers can be reborn as devices for the growth of the next generation if they go through a safe process." He added, "We will continue to expand resource-circulation models such as recycling telecommunications infrastructure and eco-friendly distribution networks."