firstcolo and AfB launch partnership for sustainable IT and refurbishment
Frankfurt/Main, September 2025. Just recently, firstcolo announced its new cooperation with AfB social & green IT, Europe’s largest non-profit IT company. The goal of the partnership is to responsibly refurbish used IT hardware and prepare it for reuse or professional recycling. On September 17, 2025, AfB made its first pickup: Three pallets of decommissioned hardware were collected directly from firstcolo’s premises, in the presence of Mathias Groben, firstcolo’s Director Datacenter. After data-protection-compliant erasure, the devices were inspected and refurbished before being re-circulated as “Refurbished IT.” Devices that could no longer be used were thus sustainably recycled. “Green IT encompasses much more than paperless work. With AfB, we are therefore entering into a partnership that extends the life cycle of our devices, saves valuable resources such as CO₂, water, and energy, and simultaneously assumes social responsibility,” explains Nicolaj Kamensek, COO of firstcolo GmbH.
Contribution to climate protection and resource conservation
AfB stands for “Work for People with Disabilities” and has been operating as a recognized inclusion company since 2004. Approximately half of its 700 employees live with severe disabilities. The business model saves thousands of tons of CO₂ emissions, water, and raw materials annually. It also combines ecological responsibility with social commitment: companies hand over their used IT hardware, which AfB professionally erases, inspects, refurbishes, and resells with a warranty. Devices that are no longer usable are professionally recycled. AfB has received numerous awards for this commitment, including the German Sustainability Award (2012, 2021, 2024). “The cooperation between firstcolo and AfB creates a partnership that combines ecological responsibility with social commitment. Together, we conserve valuable resources and create new opportunities for people with disabilities. This shows how sustainability and inclusion can go hand in hand,” says Kamensek.
firstcolo GmbH
As an operator of data centers in Germany, firstcolo GmbH, based in Frankfurt am Main, provides its customers with the highest level of service quality. firstcolo’s range of services includes classic colocation and server system rental, as well as managed services, security solutions, and cloud services.
