How new opportunities for the future are being created from used Bauerfeind laptops
Let’s do Labdoo!
“Let’s do something good with our used laptops instead of just scrapping them!”
With this idea, system administrator Thomas Hagenau set in motion something that today has an impact far beyond the boundaries of our company. Dr. Thomas Wachsmuth, Head of IT, immediately cleared the way to search for a way to give decommissioned devices a second life – and Thomas Hagenau came across the international initiative Labdoo in the process.
His research eventually led him to Kaulsdorf in Thuringia. There, he met Axel Brümmer: world cyclist, author, adventurer, and above all, a person who is convinced that education can change the world.
Since 2010, Labdoo has been pursuing an idea that is as simple as it is impressive: used laptops are refurbished and made available to children all over the world. In this way, new opportunities for education and digital participation are created from decommissioned devices. Worldwide, more than 64,000 laptops have already been used in around 3,000 educational projects.
Bauerfeind is also part of this success story. In recent years, 144 used laptops have been donated to the network, 115 of which have already arrived at the projects. In June 2026, Thomas Hagenau and Environmental Manager Christian Gerbert visited the Labdoo hub in Kaulsdorf and handed over another partial delivery of 61 devices.
There, they were able to experience firsthand the journey the laptops take after their time at Bauerfeind. IT students, schoolchildren, and dedicated retirees prepare the devices for their new use and install educational programs. Later, volunteer flight sponsors ensure that they arrive directly with children and young people around the world. Even the journey of each individual laptop can be traced. On Axel Brümmer's screen, the two visitors followed the route of a Bauerfeind laptop all the way to India.
One experience from his travels particularly moved Axel Brümmer: In Ghana, he saw people dismantling e-waste under extremely dangerous conditions to recover valuable raw materials. For him, it became clear that environmental and social issues are inextricably linked. This is exactly where Labdoo comes in: devices are used longer, resources are conserved, and education is made possible at the same time.
Today, Bauerfeind laptops support children in India, Bolivia, and many other countries. They are used in learning centers, schools, and projects where education is often not a given. There, they help to convey knowledge, create perspectives, and make dreams tangible.
How much this support means became especially clear at the end of the visit. Axel Brümmer presented Thomas Hagenau with a thank-you card from the GlobalSocial India team. On it was a sentence that leaves a lasting impression:
“Thanks to you, learning has reached places where it was once only a dream.” A sentence that shows: sometimes a laptop can open a window to the world.
