Philippine startup raises funds to give used IT devices new life

The Humble Sustainability team / Photo credit: Humble Sustainability

The Philippines generates up to 61,000 metric tons of solid waste daily. However, some government initiatives and the growing adoption of a circular economy within the country’s private sector are helping to reduce this number.

One example from the tech sector is Humble Sustainability, a Manila-based cleantech startup that helps B2B clients sell their electronic equipment instead of throwing it away.

The company recently received a capital boost in a round led by Gobi Partners through the Gobi-Core Philippine Fund. The funding amount was undisclosed.

The Philippines’ National Development Company, Double River Impact, Equitrust Holdings, and other investors from the XA Network also joined the round.

“I was born and raised in the Philippines, where my childhood experiences of thrifting filled me with joy and instilled an early awareness of the value of repurposed items,” co-founder and COO Nina Mirabueno Opida said in a statement.

Unlike the usual thrift stores in the country, which mostly sell secondhand clothes and shoes, Humble Sustainability mainly offers smartphones, laptops, and appliances. The conditions of these products range from like-new items to units that are still in good condition but have no box.

The startup’s activities with several corporations have shifted over 250,000 kilograms of electronic waste away from landfills. Currently, it serves more than 75 clients, including Canva, Manulife, and Sunlife.

Humble Sustainability, which also offers reports and analysis to support customers in reaching their ESG goals, plans to explore regional expansion.

In the long term, the company, which last secured a seed round led by Seedstars International Ventures in 2022, aims to recirculate 1 billion items.

See also: Now in the black, this Malaysian startup seeks gold in silver economy