As a business owner or IT manager, it’s crucial to understand how buying sustainable hardware can benefit your organisation. Sustainable hardware refers to computers, servers, storage devices and related equipment that is not purchased new and has been remanufactured. This type of equipment is becoming increasingly attractive due to drives to reduce our carbon footprint and demonstrate a positive company image both internally and externally. This blog post examines the core tenets of sustainability in IT hardware and helps you learn how to purchase sustainable products for your business or organisation.
What is Sustainable IT hardware?
Sustainable IT is based on the circular economy model. Sustainable IT Hardware is reusing and repurposing existing hardware such as computers, servers, and storage devices. It refers to practices that focus on prolonging the life cycle of technology devices by maintaining, upgrading, and reusing them.
For instance, leasing remanufactured or refurbished equipment. Not only does this enable you to access the same level of technology for a lower cost, but it also drastically reduces electronic waste that often ends up dumped into landfills. By maximising efficiency and minimising waste, Sustainable IT encourages organisations to shift their mindset towards a more sustainable approach, which has positive benefits for the environment and their pocketbook.
The equipment itself once received back from a client is inspected, data is securely erased, components are tested and upgraded (where required), devices are reconditioned (keyboard reprinted, cleaned, silk-screened) and retested to factory standards. This process goes beyond tradition refurbishment and gives used devices a new look and feel.
Acquiring sustainable IT hardware for your business
If you’re an eco-conscious business and want to reduce your IT hardware footprint, you can acquire business IT equipment sustainably.
1. Buying remanufactured or refurbished
Sustainable IT hardware can be an excellent option for businesses or organisations looking to save money and protect the environment. Buying remanufactured or refurbished items is a perfect way to get a reduced price on tech products while ensuring that any used equipment is recycled or disposed of appropriately. Investing in a lease for higher-end equipment such as servers and laptops, where the lease is put in place for two to three years, is often an effective way to ensure optimal value.
The difference between remanufactured or refurbished IT equipment
When considering IT equipment, the terms remanufactured and refurbished can often be confused. However, there is a significant difference. Remanufacturing is a process that involves both new and recycled components which replace the existing ones in a product, while refurbishing is when a product is sent back to the manufacturer for testing and rebuilding before it returns to the market. Both solutions provide customers with a reliable and secure way of investing in sustainable IT hardware.
The benefits of remanufactured or refurbished IT equipment
Buying remanufactured or refurbished products has many sustainability benefits, such as:
- Reduces the carbon footprint in relation to the supply of equipment, compared to the purchasing of new products
- Reduces toxins from seeping into the environment through the disposal of equipment
- Reduces electronic waste (estimated at 45 million tonnes per year)
- Reduces the impact of labour and production, including waste, air pollutants, and water pollutants
- Cost-effective – a customer of ours has previously purchased refurbished hardware and made a saving of 76% when compared with buying new equipment
2. Equipment leasing or using buy-back clauses
Leasing IT equipment is optimal for businesses with short-term needs since it allows for a set usage period of as few as three months. Additionally, buy-back solutions are increasingly popular as they enable customers to be responsible for disposing of their equipment at the end of its usable life. To further encourage sustainable practices, suppliers are now offering more buy-back solutions so that customers can responsibly dispose of their equipment at the end of its useful life.
Enacting a buy-back clause specifies a contractual agreement to purchase back all products after a designated period; this ensures that the recycled tech can be repurposed and reused, helping support a circular economic model.
The bottom line
Many options are available if you want to protect the environment but still acquire the latest technology for your business. You can buy refurbished or remanufactured computers, which don’t require new parts and use less energy. Alternatively, you can lease computers with a buy-back clause to recycle them after your company uses them. Whatever route you choose, sustainability doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated – there are many ways to do it.
Lease refurbished and remanufactured computers from RND-IT
At RND-IT, we understand the importance of a responsible and sustainable approach to corporate practices. We are committed to supporting our clients in their commitment to making environmentally conscious buying decisions. We guarantee that all devices that utilise our DaaS model and are returned to us are repurposed or remarketed and have full traceability of any disposed e-waste. Sample units are available today for your testing and evaluation.
Our team of experts is available to advise on utilising efficient and sustainable products in your procurement process. Contact us today by emailing us at [email protected] or calling us on 0118 322 4489 and discover our wide selection of carbon-neutral computers that promise improved efficiency for your organisation and reduce your carbon footprint.
