An e-waste recycling initiative targeting firms in Samoa got a local company nominated for an award in New Zealand.

The Samoa Stationery and Books Ltd (S.S.A.B.) was among six finalists for the Sustainability Partner of the Year award at the 2019 HP Partner Awards on Friday night at The Wharf in Northcote in Auckland, New Zealand. 

S.S.A.B. Operations Manager, Nancy Vito, was also among seven finalists for the Channel Sales Person of the Year (Print) award. 

The 2019 Channel Sales Person of the Year (Print) award went to Margarita Subach of the Kiwi firm Business Distributors, while the Sustainability Partner of the Year award went to the company Ingram Micro.

In a statement released to the media on Saturday, S.S.A.B. management said the 2019 HP Partner Awards was for all HP partners throughout New Zealand and the Pacific region including Samoa.

Chief Executive Officer, Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai and her team were invited to attend the HP Partner Awards night in Auckland.

The company’s e-waste recycling initiative was launched in February this year with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), and specifically targeted the recycling of HP printer ink cartridges.

The ink cartridges were then collected, pack up and sent back to New Zealand to be recycled. The local company’s first shipment of e-waste ink cartridges to New Zealand contained 972.02 kilograms of recycled material.

Without the HP Takeback Initiative in Samoa run by the SSAB, the ink cartridges would have been disposed at the Tafaigata landfill. 

The HP Partner Awards was also an opportunity for Tofilau to meet with Samir Shah, HP Asia Pacific  and Japan Regions Vice President and General Manager. 

Mr Shah was impressed with the Samoan company’s achievements connected to the HP Takeback Initiative and had asked that the story on the SSAB e-waste initiative is highlighted as a HP success story.

Since breaking into the Samoan market 11 years ago, SSAB has become the country’s leading supplier of electronic equipment.

Tofilau acknowledged the contribution of her staff, Samoa government, MNRE, International Labour Organisation, e-waste partners, supporters and customers for their support and role in ensuring SSAB was nominated for the two awards.