Foundation
The independent, neutral and non-profit oriented foundation SENS International was created at the beginning of 2009 as a subsidiary of the Stiftung Entsorgung Schweiz (SENS). SENS International received its founding capital from its parent company SENS and from the «vignette» funds earmarked for refrigeration appliance recycling.
The parent company SENS is a non-profit oriented foundation with just under 20 years' experience in the design and quality assurance of take-back and recycling systems. Within Switzerland it takes care of the recycling system for household appliances and many other groups of old electrical and electronic appliances. From 1991 to 2002 SENS sold around 1.6 million waste management vignettes for refrigeration appliances. Non-converted vignettes make up a «Vignette Fund» of around CHF 3 million.
Since the Advance Recycling Fee (ARF) superseded the vignette system at the beginning of 2003, these funds are no longer needed in Switzerland. However, they have been earmarked for the prevention of CFC emissions and should only be used for this purpose.
This led to the idea of using the vignette fund on behalf of Swiss consumers for the initial financing of climate protection projects. At the beginning of 2009 the foundation SENS International was founded for this purpose, with the intention of promoting the recycling of refrigeration, air conditioning and deep-freeze appliances to the Swiss standard in emerging markets and developing countries.
SENS International is responsible for the realisation, ongoing monitoring, financing, marketing, control and quality assurance of climate protection projects.