The impact of eWaste is far reaching. The electronics we throw away contain toxic substances, including mercury, brominated flame retardants (BRF), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Over time, these drain into soil, escape into the air, and are now entering our food chain.
The take, make, use and dispose cycle is commonplace in our businesses and society. But this can no longer be our default.
We all need to play our part in replacing ingrained behaviours with new
sustainable IT practices that align social responsibility with strategy, performance and profit.
Put simply, we need to use what we have for longer.
10 years ago, non-new IT equipment was synonymous with terms like ‘cheap’, ‘grey market’ and ‘fake’. Today, you can tap into a vendor-approved market, created by industry leaders from HP to Cisco and IBM.
Non-new is no longer a second-rate option. The equipment is technologically sound, has a lower impact on the planet and costs you less. In fact, according to recent IBM research of 525 global IT professionals, saving money was the lead reason for choosing used IT equipment. It makes business sense.
For over a decade our teams at The Circularity First Group have been working with clients, including Cisco, the NHS and
Ministry of Defence to reduce eWaste and lengthen the lifecycle of IT.
We’re proud to have saved over 763 tonnes of eWaste to date and our target is to reach 1000 tonnes by 2022.
If you would like to reduce eWaste and continue working towards more sustainable
solutions, please get in touch.
As business leaders, we have to continue asking challenging questions and aligning our IT disposal with circular economy objectives. This means asking key questions like “Do I need brand new technology?” at the start of the process – not at the end.
The good news is: the solutions exist. And they are already working. Together, we can now extend the life of our IT equipment, start reducing eWaste and create successful practices that benefit business, people, and the planet.
