WASTE

SUSTAINABLE IT:

transforms e-waste challenge into opportunity

Most organisations are heavily reliant on IT assets that require regular upgrades for almost all operations. Responsibly managing the resulting e-waste is not only a legal requirement but an opportunity to implement sustainable IT and circular economy practices.

Astaggering 50-million tons of e-waste is generated around the world every year. With the pace of technological innovation and the Covid-19 pandemic spiking demand for electronics, global e-waste volumes are projected to grow to 75-million metric tons per year by 2030. Less than 20% of e-waste globally is officially documented as properly recycled. That means most electronics being discarded end up in landfills, where the items are incinerated or buried, leaking harmful toxic chemicals such as mercury or lead which pose environmental and health risks.

In South Africa, the National Environmental Management Waste Act, 2008 stipulates that all reasonable measures must be taken to: • Avoid and minimise the generation of waste • Reduce, reuse, recycle and recover waste where generation cannot be avoided • Ensure waste is treated and disposed of in an environmentally sound and safe manner.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRACTICES

“To meet the obligations, all South African companies must reduce and manage their e-waste. Companies need to move from a linear ‘produce, use and discard’ approach to a circular and more sustainable ‘produce, use, reuse and recycle’ approach,” says Kwirirai Rukowo, general manager of Qrent, a division of InnoVent Rental and Asset Management Solutions.

“Circular economy practices enabled by innovative business models manage the first, second, and third lifecycles of IT assets responsibly. This not only maximises the lifecycle of a company’s IT assets but also reduces e-waste, maximises re-use and recycling opportunities and supports responsible end-of-life disposal. In addition, it allows companies to reap the benefits of sustainable IT, such as reducing costs, meeting sustainability or ESG goals and improving investor and stakeholder confidence, without negatively impacting the bottom line.”

PRACTICES IN IT MANAGEMENT

Monitoring IT requirements and assets across business units within the organisation provides a complete view of how effectively the entire organisation’s IT needs are being met. The right IT asset tracking solution will collate valuable information, such as accurate data about how many IT assets a company owns, which employees are using the devices, what new devices or upgrades are required now and, in the future, and how each asset is disposed of at end-of-life.

ACCESS TO EQUIPMENT

“The traditional model of outright device ownership, funded by expensive capex, is fast being replaced by access to equipment found in hardware-as-a-service, subscription, leasing or rental models,” explains Rukowo. “The right model eliminates the hassles of 100% ownership of IT assets, including capital outlay, maintenance, delayed upgrades, and the responsibility for correctly disposing of harmful e-waste.” Innovative models such as subsidised finance models help businesses finance and manage technology assets in their first life, by eliminating the need for expensive capex.

REFURBISHING OR REMANUFACTURING

IT equipment that no longer satisfies the user’s original needs is not necessarily obsolete and should be brought back into the circular economy to be repaired, refurbished or re-used for other purposes, extending the lifecycle to extract maximum value. Giving technology a second life reduces the amount of e-waste in landfills, preserves natural resources, reduces the quantity of new products being manufactured, drives down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and limits overall footprint.

RESPONSIBLE DISPOSAL

The lack of disposal policies can create a large amount of e-waste for companies that leads to further issues such as data security, space constraints and storage costs. “Replacing and updating a company’s technology necessitates disposing of old equipment without contributing to environmental hazards while also protecting your data, which requires a more complex strategy,” explains Rukowo. “At the end-of-life stage for electronic devices, a professional and specialised IT asset disposal programme is required to provide secure data sanitisation ensuring confidential data on the devices are safely removed to avoid a data breach; and also, to provide the correct disposal of outdated IT assets.”

Unviable equipment must be disposed of by accredited service providers in a responsible manner, in accordance with high industry standards for environmental stewardship.