The circular economy
One key sustainable habit to encourage in employees is retaining a device past its typical lifespan. The longer a device is in service, the longer the organization can delay the costs and carbon associated with procuring a new device.
If the industry continues to operate on a standard three-year refresh cycle, it can undermine much of the positive progress organizations are making with their device management. Not only does it create a major IT workload in collecting, formatting, and disposing of these devices, but it also leads to significant expense, waste, and even more emissions.
Currently, 89% of organizations recycle less than 10% of their IT hardware, which means long-lasting materials and rare resources are overwhelmingly ending up in landfill. A staggering 62 million tons of e-waste was produced in 2022, which is up 82% from 2010, and predicted to rise another 32% to 82 million tons by 2030. And often, a device being sent for disposal means the business needs to buy new as a replacement.
Circularity can help divert e-waste from landfill. It extends product lifespans, reduces overall material use, and keeps scarce materials – such as cobalt and lithium – in the loop.
Depending on the device’s age, components, and intended use, organizations can either refurbish them to redeploy, or establish third-party partnerships to sustainably recycle components and materials. When replacing a device, many OEMs now offer refurbished, like-new devices at a lower price point, making renewing the organization’s device portfolio more sustainable and cost-effective.
