Executive changes at SENS eRecycling: Dirk Hoffmann to replace Andreas Röthlisberger as president of the Board of Trustees from late-April 2021.
Andreas Röthlisberger, the founder of SENS eRecycling and the president of its Board of Trustees for over 30 years, is handing over the Foundation’s managerial reins to Dirk Hoffmann. With his many years of international experience and his passion for sustainability, Dirk Hoffmann will continue to develop the pioneering work done by SENS and guide it into the future.
It all began with a vision
More than 30 years ago now, Andreas Röthlisberger developed his vision of a circular economy, and to this end set up the SENS Foundation (formerly Stiftung Entsorgung Schweiz) with a small group of like-minded people in 1990. Many years before the term had become common within the European electrical and electronic appliances market, Andreas Röthlisberger was able to convince Switzerland-based manufacturers, importers and retailers to assume “producer responsibility” and establish a joint disposal solution financed through voluntary funding. “Increased producer responsibility is the foundation of any circular economy. SENS and its partners have thereby implemented a vision and played a pioneering role,” states Röthlisberger.
A SENS(ational) 30 years – the shape of the future
Even after 30 years, Andreas Röthlisberger’s enthusiasm for his life’s work is unwavering. “SENS eRecycling extends far beyond Switzerland’s borders. As a co-founder of the WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) Forum and the founder of WEEE Europe, our Foundation leads the way in Europe in terms of waste disposal and the circular economy,” Röthlisberger opines. In his eyes, handing over the presidency is by no means an ending, but rather a sign of the Foundation’s evolution within a dynamic market continually faced with new challenges. “Dirk Hoffmann is a man of action who likes people and believes in visions – with his experience and passion for the industry and sustainability, he is just the right person for us and our partners,” Röthlisberger says of his successor. The appointment of Dirk Hoffmann to the presidency of the SENS Board of Trustees marks the continued pursuit of mandatory participation with an exemption option and ensures continuity in the management of the Foundation. Andreas Röthlisberger will continue to support SENS eRecycling as a consultant and as its founder. He will also remain president of the Fair Recycling Foundation, which works to protect the climate and environment and which was set up in 2008 as a spin-off of the SENS Foundation.
Some facts on Dirk Hoffmann it makes SENS to be aware of
Dirk Hoffmann has lived on virtually every continent and his wealth of experience spans the globe. This passionate hiker came to Switzerland seven years ago in part because of its mountains – however, it was the sustainability strategy of V-ZUG that really attracted him. He managed the company for six years as its CEO and currently supports it as Head of Strategic Projects at Metall Zug AG. At the same time, he serves as a member and president of several administrative boards, assuming responsibility for selected divisions within the Metall Zug Group. His commitments in the sphere of sustainability are many and varied, and include the Innovation Park Central Switzerland, with a particular focus on the circular economy as well as on social and ecological effects. “Sustainability is my passion. Who other than SENS makes so substantial a contribution to the circular economy?,” Hoffmann comments on his new role.
Dirk Hoffmann is a qualified electrical engineer – his interest lies in tricky challenges within the manufacturing industry and the sustainable use of precious resources. He has been assisting SENS as a member of the Board of Trustees for three years now, and will assume the presidency in April. He will succeed the current president with a sense of respect and a thirst for action as he looks towards the future: “My task will be to preserve the strengths of the voluntary systems achieved to date and to innovatively expand upon these for the benefit of society, the environment and the economy. SENS is already a functioning ecosystem that transcends industry boundaries and is actively engaged in, and promotes collaborations with, a great variety of system participants. I see big opportunities in the intensity of these collaborations and wish to ensure that SENS and our partners are even stronger as we enter the next 10 years.”