“Buchbar” (literally “book bar”) stands in bold letters above the bookcase in the seating area at the reception of Bechtle’s headquarters in Neckarsulm. Here, visitors and employees can simply borrow or take a book to enjoy. What makes the initiative “Inclusion is Giving and Taking” special is its partnership with Krautheimer Werkstätten—the Krautheim workshops for people with disabilities, just a short distance away in southern Germany.
How does it work? Bechtle employees can donate books they’ve finished reading by dropping them off at reception. Every quarter, the workshops collect the books, refurbish them and resell them via Amazon or Booklocker. “This way, we can offer people with complex disabilities meaningful work,” explains Stefan Blank, Managing Director of Krautheimer Werkstätten. Books that are still in excellent condition but can’t be sold find their way to the Bechtle Buchbar instead, meaning they don’t end up in the bin, but are given a second life.
“We loved the idea right from the start, although we assumed it would only work for a short time,” recalls Bernd Britsch, Head of Facility Management at Bechtle AG. “But seven years have passed, and the Buchbar is now part of everyday life here. We regularly receive book donations for the Krautheim workshops, and the books in the Buchbar are also very popular,” he continues. Stefan Blank points out that such a long-term partnership is far from common: “No other partner runs this second-hand book project as consistently and sustainably as Bechtle. The fact that we manage this initiative ‘like good neighbours’ and without any commercial interests makes it truly unique.”
