How IT procurement holds the key to a greener business

Written by Tim Westbrook, director at Stone Group

With sustainability rising up the agenda for governments, customers and staff alike, more businesses are committing themselves to a greener and more sustainable future. However, many don’t realise the importance of tackling e-waste if they are to truly make changes to their environmental footprint.

The amount of e-waste generated through 2021 was predicted to total an estimated 57.4 million tonnes – greater than the weight of the Great Wall of China, Earth’s heaviest artificial object. Much of this waste ends up in landfill, being incinerated, hoarded, or illegally traded. If no action is taken, the UK is set to become the biggest e-waste producer in Europe per capita by 2024, according to Spring. And, when you consider that the average business upgrade cycle happens every three to four years, an abundance of devices are deemed surplus to requirements on a regular basis.

According to our own research conducted with almost 1,200 employees, 55% place responsibility for tackling this issue firmly with business, a sentiment shared particularly amongst employees aged 25 to 34 and 24 and under with 82% and 74% respectively believing companies should be doing more to make a difference to the problem of e-waste.

So how can you help to tackle this growing problem?

Stop hoarding!

Now that many businesses are settling into new patterns of hybrid working, it is a great time to conduct an audit of your IT estate as there are likely to be many devices that are no longer required and many that have long been gathering dust in rooms and cupboards.  While you may not think this hoarded kit is of any value, making sure that these are disposed of responsibly can have a huge impact as they can go on to have second lives elsewhere and reduce the need for the manufacturing of new kit – more on this later!

Make, use, recycle

Rather than the traditional ‘take, make, dispose’ approach, a lot can be gained through a more circular ‘make, use, recycle’ route. This puts sustainability at the heart of every stage of the IT equipment’s lifecycle and considers how a business can maximise the lifespan of a product through repair or re-use as well as how they can re-use or recycle products when they reach the end of their lifespan. By doing this thinking up front, it also allows the business to be clearer on specification as they have the kit’s entire lifecycle and cost in mind. What’s more, the added environmental and ethical importance of the procurement process can also act as a barrier or deterrent to those employees that buy equipment outside of the agreed specification and process – an age-old and costly headache which leads to engineers and support teams being unable to sufficiently manage the kit.

Buying new is not the only option

As the saying goes, if you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always got, so in order to make a difference, change really has to come right at the beginning of the process.  This could include buying remanufactured or refurbished products, an approach that would not only help to lower e-waste but is more cost-effective and also reduces the carbon footprint and environmental impact of manufacturing new products.

Alternatively, lease or buy-back options could also be a more sustainable route, either leasing the equipment you need for a period of time or buying the technology but with a clause in the contract for the supplier to buy-back all or part of the equipment which they can then go on to remanufacture or reuse.

There is still some hesitation from businesses around these sustainable routes, ranging from a fear of receiving inferior products, inadequate guarantees or a belief that they have a shorter shelf life. In truth, refurbished IT equipment is a great way of achieving the specifications a business needs at a lower cost. Reputable sellers offer refurbished equipment in a ‘like-new’ condition and offer warrantees that rival those for new devices.

Consider how to dispose of your unwanted kit

Whilst our research showed that a quarter of businesses were unsure what happened to their e-waste or admitted sending it to landfill, 2 in 5 (41%) organisations were trying to give their kit a second life by donating it to charities or schools and 31% use an IT asset disposal (ITAD) facility. In fact, those using an ITAD facility were not only reaping the benefits of their equipment being recycled or refurbished but cited the ease of the items being collected from their organisation and the fact that they could trust that data was securely wiped from their devices as significant factors behind their choice.

However, if you go down this route it’s vital to check a company’s ITAD accreditations to ensure their service complies with the necessary environmental and health and safety laws and guidelines. It is also a good idea to ensure they can provide a full report and traceability as proof that your equipment has been disposed of responsibly and make sure you choose a provider that guarantees zero waste to landfill.

Make sure it works for you

If any change is to be permanent, then it needs to work for the business and not be a burden. Your ITAD provider should make it easy for you to book collections via an app or website and, contrary to the many providers who charge a premium for collecting old kit, you should in fact look for a company that will offer rebates for your old equipment as many items will hold a residual value. The money you get back for your old kit can then be put towards your new IT purchases or reallocated elsewhere in the business. An increasing number of ITAD providers also now offer refurbished products from major manufacturers, and the option to tailor each machine to your specifications.

If every business was to adopt even one aspect of this circular procurement approach then it would make a significant impact on the world’s sustainability mission.