ING collects old mobile phones for Proximus’s 'Don't miss the call'

Nadia Herremans is responsible for internal and external communications at the Investments department of the major bank ING. She is passionate about her job and she is also committed to people, animals and the planet. "I find that my employer shares those values," she clarifies. "ING is committed to the principle of stretch goals, or defining ambitions that add value to a team or department. They don't necessarily have to be directly linked to our function."

Sustainable and Collective

Nadia went in search of an objective outside the classic patterns. "I really wanted to set up something special, that connected to my own world and motives," she said. Nadia searched and evaluated several options online. "'Don't miss the call’ is a perfect fit: not only is it a sustainable initiative but it is also something easy to make other people enthusiastic about."

Nadia Herremans, Customer Journey Expert at ING

‘Don't miss the call’

Proximus is collecting old mobile phones and smartphones via the 'Don't miss the call' campaign. It gives these devices a second life through re-use or, together with its partner Umicore, ensures the sustainable recycling of valuable raw materials from broken items. The fact that the campaign can be summed up in a few sentences helped Nadia to create support within ING. "A major financial company like ING doesn't just endorse any campaign. The added value to our society must be clear, but at the same time fully in line with our internal philosophy."

Passed After Risk Analysis

As an experienced communications specialist, Nadia used her know-how to roll out 'Don't miss the call' internally. "My direct supervisor immediately backed the idea and my department also gave the green light. ING then conducted two more risk analyses of its own, which showed that the initiative was in line with its own sustainability goals. Proximus also correctly erased all the data from the retrieved mobile phones."

Fast Switching in Times of Covid

Nadia shared the campaign via email with the 130 colleagues in her department. The response did not take long, but Covid quickly put a damper on the whole thing. "As offices were forced to close, depositing devices in the 'Don't miss the call' box was no longer possible. I decided to tap into my social network, both inside and outside ING. Soon I regularly found mobile phones in my post box."

Space for More

Because of the impact of Covid, ING and Nadia extended the campaign. "The aquarium is near the coffee machines. Therefore, when work resumes in our offices, no one in our department will be able to avoid it. I certainly intend to bring 'Don't miss the call' back into the spotlight then. So I suspect and hope that the number of mobile phones collected will increase substantially!"