How to tackle the e-waste crisis with ChromeOS

Tacklingthe E-wasteCrisis ThroughCircularity

Takingactionfortheenvironmenthas neverbeenmoreimpoantforbusinesses. ChromeOScanhelpyourbusiness accelerateitssustainabilityjourney.

April2023

Contents Inbrief 2 It’stimeforbusinessleaderstoface sustainabilityheadon 4 Thegrowinge-wastecrisis&how circularitycanhelp 6 HowGooglecanhelpyourbusiness reducee-wastethroughcircularity 10 Howtogetstaed 14 Sources 16 1

Inbrief

Businessleadersareembracingsustainabilitywithgrowingurgency.Attheheaofthis eoisanaempttocurbthegrowingcrisisofelectronicwaste(e-waste).

Businessleaderscanstepuptotheplatetotacklee-waste,staingwithembedding circularityintoworkforcetechnologyForbusinessesthatequiptheirworkforcewith devicessuchaslaptops,oneofthemostimpoantwaystoreducee-wastecontribution throughcircularityistopreventexistingdevicesfromenteringlandllsbyextendingtheir usefullife.

GoogleChromeOSoersbusinessesanoppounitytoreducetheire-waste contributionswithasimplechangetoworkforcetechnology.Byallowingbusinessesto givetheirexistingdevicesanewlifeandincreasingtheeciencyofdevicesinuse, ChromeOSFlexcanoercost-savingsofupto96%,emissionsreductionsof83%,andan e-wastereductionof100%-allintherstyear.

Readontolearnmoreaboutthemountingsustainabilitychallengesthatbusinessesface, andhowChromeOScanhelpyourbusinesslimite-waste,reduceyourcarbonfootprint, anddrivecostsavings.

Transitioning10,000devicestoChromeOSFlexcanamounttosavingsof…

fossilfuelmiles’ wohofemissions 40 years’wohof householdpower 167 couches’weightof e-wasteprevented 2

9.3M

ThisrepowasdevelopedwithAccenture’s suppoand50+primaryandsecondarysources toexplorecriticalthemesinsustainabilitythatare increasinglyattheheaofbusinessdecisions.

3

It’stimefor businessleadersto facesustainability headon

4

It’stimeforbusinessleaderstoface sustainabilityheadon

Sustainabilityisatthetopofbusinessleaders’agendas-anditshouldbe.

Heightenedurgencyfromenvironmentalchallengesandincreasingregulationsaredrivingleaders toredenebusinessmodelswithanewlenstowardsustainability.Accordingtoresearchdoneby theUnitedNationsinpanershipwithAccenture,63%ofbusinessleadersarelaunchingnew productandserviceoeringsaimedatdrivingsustainability.2

Embeddingsustainabilityintobusinessmodelsdoesn’tjustdriveenvironmentalbenets-it’salso beenshowntoimpacttheboomline.Sustainablebusinessespeormbeernancially,withthe EBITDAmarginoftopquailecompaniesrepoing21%higher(+3.4percentagepoints)thanthe boomquaile.3

Feelingthesustainabilitybuzz?You’renotalone.Thisemphasisonsustainabilityhasledmorethan athirdofglobalbusinessleaderstocommittonetzerotargetsby2050 However,despite aiculatingplanstoshitomoresustainablebusinessmodelsandpractices,leadersarestill strugglingwhenitcomestotranslatingcommitmentsintoaction.Infact,93%ofleadersarefacing signicantbarrierswhenitcomestoimplementingsustainablechanges.2

Thesebarriersoenarisefrombusinesses’connectiontotheirbroadersupplychainand ecosystem.Inasurveyof1,000+leadingCEOs,“extendingstrategythroughoutthesupplychain”, orensuringthatpanersandecosystemplayershavethesamesustainabilitymindset,wasthe#1 barrierforCEOsofenterpriseswithrevenuehigherthan$25M4

However,supplychainandpanerstrugglesdon’thavetokeepyourbusinessfrommeeting sustainabilitygoals.Whileyoumaynothavecontrolovertheactionsofyourecosystempaners, youcanchoosetoengagewithcompanieslikeGooglethatmatchyourbusiness’sdedicationto sustainability.Andthere’snobeertimetostathannow.

Thispaperwillhelpyoumakeprogressonyoursustainabilityambitionsbyoutliningnot onlytheenvironmentalbenetsbutalsothecostsavingsthatcanbeachievedthrough ChromeOSFlex.

“Climatechangeisthebiggestchallengeweface…andit’sonethat willaectallofusindeeplypersonalways”

-GoogleCEO,SundarPichai,2021

1

5

Thegrowing e-wastecrisis& howcircularity canhelp

6

Thegrowinge-waste crisis&howcircularity canhelp

Oneoftheeasiestwaystogetstaedwith sustainabilityistoevaluate,andmitigate,your business’scontributiontothegrowinge-waste crisis.Thescaleoftheglobale-wastecrisisis staggering,with61.3MillionTons(Mt)ofe-waste tobediscardedbytheendof2023.Ifnoactionis taken,e-wasteisprojectedtorise22%to74.7Mt by2030,makingittheworld'sfastest-growing wastestream5

Whatise-waste?E-wastereferstoold,end-of-life orprematurelydiscardedelectricalandelectronic equipmentthatisnotrecycled,reused,or repurposed.Itcanencompassanythingfrom brokenrefrigeratorsthatendupinalandllto prematurelydiscardedlaptops,thrownoutwith householdwastetomakeroomforthelatest model.Byweight,laptopsandsimilardevices accountformorethan10%(6.7Mt)ofglobal e-waste.Andthisisnosmallnumber.IntheUS alone,41Mcomputersendupinlandllseachyear. Andmanyofthesedevicesdidn’tneedtobecome e-wasteintherstplace;everyyear,devicesare prematurelythrownawaythatcouldhave otherwiseremainedinuseifsowareupdates weresuppoedorrepairwasreadilyavailable.5

DIDYOUKNOW? Theamountofe-waste generatedin2023(61.3 MillionTons)isequivalent totheweightof 168Empire Statebuildings.5 DIDYOUKNOW? IntheUSalone,morethan 41Mcomputers endupinlandllseachyear5 7

Overconsumption,inadequatedisposalinfrastructure,andlaxenforcementarealldriversofthe escalatingproblemofe-waste.IntheUS,theaveragenumberofdevicesperhouseholdsurgedto25 in2021,upnearly130%fromjust11devicesin2019.Despiteglobale-wasteregulationscovering71% oftheworld'spopulation,only17.4%ofwould-bee-wastewasproperlyrecycledworldwidein2019. Throughtheresponsiblemanagementofenterprisedevices,businessescanplaytheirpain increasingthepercentageofe-wasterecycledandtakingotherstepstomitigatethecrisis5,6

DIDYOUKNOW?

Around20% ofe-wastefromhigh-incomecountries(e.g.,theUS)isexpoedto low-incomecountriesinregionssuchasAfricaandSoutheastAsia,where over90% ofitisinformallyprocessedthroughdangerousmethodssuchas open-dumping,burning,leaching,andmelting,posingagraveenvironmental andhealthconcern.5

E-wasteGeneratedGlobally(Mt)-GlobalE-wasteMonitor,20192

E-wastegenerationis predictedtogrowby +22% by2030(74.7Mt)

Figure1:E-wastegeneratedgloballysince2019

8

Astheproblemgrows,onethingisclear: circularitywillbeoneofthemostcritical toolsinthebaleagainste-waste

Circularityisafull-scalemindsetshithatrequiresapivotfromalinear‘take-make-waste’approach toarestorativeprocessthatreduceswaste Circularityisaneconomicmodel,regenerativebydesign, thataimstokeepproductsandmaterialsintheeconomyforaslongaspossible,maximizingtheir usefullifewhileminimizingtheextractionofnewrawmaterialsandthegenerationofwaste.Put simply,insteadofproducingmoreandmorestuthatisdestinedtoendupinalandll,circularity focusesonprioritizingproductsthataremeanttolastandkeepingtheminuseaslongaspossible.

Thebenetsofcircularityaremultifold Fromapurelyenvironmentalperspective,80%oftheannual volumeofplasticsinouroceanscanbemitigatedthroughcircularityItmightbecounterintuitive,but nearlyahofe-wasteisplastic.Societally,theadoptionofcircularbusinessmodelsisprojectedto resultinthedevelopmentof6Mnewjobsby2030.Finally, theeconomicbenetsshouldnotbe ignored.Circularitypresentsa$4.5trillionglobaloppounityby2030throughmodelsincluding sharingplaorms,products-as-a-service,productlifeextension,circularsupplychains,andrecovery andrecyclinginfrastructure.ThisamountstoanoppounitylargerthantheGDPofGermany,the4th largesteconomy.7,8

CircularEconomy

LinearEconomy

Figure2:Circularitypresentsafundamentalshiinhoworganizationsoperate

9

HowGooglecan helpyourbusiness reducee-waste throughcircularity

10

HowGooglecanhelpyourbusinessreduce e-wastethroughcircularity

Theconceptofcircularitysoundsgreat,buthowcanyoumovefromideatoexecutionwithyour business’sworkforcetechnology?Nomaerwhereyouareonyoursustainabilityjourney,ChromeOS Flexcanmakeadierence-leveragingChromeOSFlexisasimple,easy-to-implementchangethat willallowyoutomakeprogresstowardsustainabilitygoalswithoutsignicantchangestocompany operations.

Oneoftheeasiestwaystoprevente-wastefromheadingtolandllstoosoonistoensureyouare makingthemostofthedevicesyoualreadyown.Thegoalforanyexistingtechnologyinyour workforceshouldbetoextenditsusefullifeasmuchaspossible.

ChromeOSFlexisacloud-rst,easy-to-manage,andfastoperatingsystemforPCsandMacsthatwill allowyoutoaccomplishthatgoal.Youmayndthataginghardwareinyourworkforce’stechnology eetisoenrenderedunusablefromsowarebloatorsecurityvulnerabilities,leadingittobe discardedwithstill-functioninghardware.Yoursowaremaybestruggling,butyourhardwaremight stillhaveplentyoflifeinit.ThisiswhereChromeOSFlexcomesin.Insteadofsendingdevicestoa landllastheyage,ChromeOSFlexwillallowyoutobreatheextendedlifeintoyourworkforce’s deviceswiththefollowingbenets:

Ongoingsuppofor updatesatfaster speed

Devicesdon’tslowdown overtimeandwon’tget impactedbylackof suppoforsoware updates.Background updatesreducedevice downtimeandimprove productivity

Proactive,innovative security

Ratherthanarewall, blockedexecutablesand sandboxingtechnology eliminatetheneedfor antivirussoware, ensuringyouremployee’s devicesaresafefrom growingcybersecurity threats.

Fastdeployment& easymanagement

ChromeOSFlexcanbe rapidlydeployedviaUSB orthroughyourcompany network,andChrome EnterpriseUpgrademakes iteasytomanageapps andpoliciesacrossyour workforce

11

Besidesconvenience,implementingChromeOSFlexcanhaveasignicantimpactonyourboomline andyourbusiness’sprogresstowardsustainabilitygoals.Firsto,transitioningtoChromeOSFlex givesyouraging,tireddevicesanewleaseonlifeandreducestheneedtobuynewdevices.Notonly isthisbenecialfortheenvironmentbyreducing(1)harmfulCO2emissionsand(2)thereleaseoftoxic chemicalsfrome-waste,butitalsoprovidessavingswhereitmaersmostforyourbusiness–on yourboomline.SwitchingtoChromeOSFlexcanoercost-savingsofupto96%(inclusiveof avoidednewdevicespend,subscriptioncostsavings,andenergycostsavings)aswellasemissions reductionsof83%(resultingfromavoidedlifecycleemissionsofpurchasinganewdeviceandrunning amoreecientOS)ande-wastereductionsof100%(fromlimitingnewdevicepurchases)inYear1 alone.Thecherryontop?DevicesthatrunChromeOSFlexare19%moreenergyecientonaverage thanotherdevices,slashingenergyuse,cuingcosts,andsuppoingsustainabilitygoals!10

ChromeOSFlexTotalSavings9

Note:Savingsassume1deviceperemployee

ChromeOSFlexvs.PurchasingaNewDevice:Cost,Emissions&E-wasteComparison

SizeofBusiness CostSavings ($) EmissionsSavings (kgCO2e) EnergyUseSavings (kWh) E-wasteSavings (lbs) <100employees $2K-$200K 380–40K 43–4K 5–500 101-500employees $200K-$800K 40K–190K 4K–20K 500–3K 500–1,000employees $800K-$2M 190K–400K 20K–45K 3K–5K 1,001–25,000employees $2M-$45M 400K–10M 45K–1M 5K–125K 25,001–50,000employees $45-$80M 10M–20M 1M–2M 125K–250K 50,001–75,000employees $80M-$125M 20M–30M 2M–3M 250K–400K 75,001-100,000employees $125M-$200M 30M–40M 3M–4M 400K–500K

12

Figure3:Comparisonofcost,emissions,ande-wastebetweenloadingChromeOSFlexonanexistingdeviceandpurchasinganewdevice

Whatdothesesavingsconsistof?

AsChromeOSFlexcandelaytheneedtopurchaseanewdeviceandrunsmoreeciently (byupto19%)signicantcostandenvironmentalsavingscanberealized9,10:

Cost

Avoidedpurchaseofnewdevices, energysavingsfromincreased eciency,subscriptioncostsavings

Emissions

Avoidedemissionsfromproductionof anewdevice,reducedemissionsfrom increasedeciency

E-waste

Avoidede-wastegenerationfrom givingdevicesasecondlife

EnergyUse

Reducedenergyusefromincreased eciency

DIDYOUKNOW?

Intherstyear,transitioning10,000devicestoChromeOSFlexinsteadof buyingnewdevices9:

● ReducesCO2emissionsequivalentto9.3Mfossilfuelcarmiles

● Cutsasmuche-wasteastheweightof167couches

● SavesenoughenergytopowertheaverageAmericanhouseholdfor40years

13

Howto getstaed

14

Howtogetstaed

It’simpoanttoactnowtorethinkyourenterprisetechnologystrategyinlightofthegrowinge-waste crisis.Anditdoesn’ttakeabigleap–ChromeOSFlexallowsyoutomakemindfulchangestoyour workforce’stechnologystrategythathaveamajorimpact.

TogetstaedwithChromeOSFlextoday,youshouldbethinkingthrough4mainsteps: 01

Evaluateyourcurrententerprisetechstack andoppounitiestoembedcircularityin yourworkforce’stechnology

Howmanynewlaptopsareyouretiringeachyear thatcouldberevitalizedwiththeuseofChromeOS Flex? 02

ContactaChromeEnterpriserepresentative todiscussoptionsforyourbusiness

a UnderstandhowChromeOSFlexcouldbe benecialforyourbusiness

b. Tryitoutforyourself!AllyouneedisaUSBdrive toinstallChromeOSFlexonyourdevice,or simplybootandrunfromtheUSBtotryitout beforedecidingtoinstallitonyourdevice.

c Discussnextstepsforinstallationand managementacrossyourworkforce,as applicable.

03

Determinesocializationandchange managementforyourworkforce

Howcanyousocializetheenvironmentalsavings (e.g.,emissions)withyourworkforceandcustomers asyoudrivethesechanges? 04

Continuetothinkaheadtobothfuture hardwareinvestmentsaswellasultimate deviceend-of-life

a Considerationsforcircularitybeginwhen devicesareinitiallypurchased When purchasingadditionalhardwareforyour workforce,prioritizedevicesthataredurable andeasytorepairtokeepyourhardware functioningforaslongaspossible

b. Whendevicesreachtheirendoflifedueto hardwareconstraintsandrequiredisposal, ensureyourenterpriseistakingthestepsto properlydisposeof,recycleandreusee-waste E-wastecannotbedisposedofinregularwaste bins,soaplanmustbemadeaccordingtolocal protocolsandregulationstoensuretoxicwaste andhazardousbyproductsaren’tleachedinto theenvironment Formoreinformationon e-wastedisposalandregion-specic resources,checkoutGoogle’srecycling programandrecyclingresourcesbyregion.

15

Sources

1. Google:Climatechangeishumanity’snext bigmoonshot,2021 2. Accenture:UNGC-CEOStudy,2023 3. Accenture:SustainabilityDNAIndex,2021 4. Accenture:UNGC-CEOStudy,2021 5. UNITAR:GlobalE-wasteMonitor,2019 6. DanielResearchGroup:UnitedStates PersonalDeviceHistoryandForecast,2023 7. WorldResourcesInstitute:5Oppounities ofaCircularEconomy,2021 8. Accenture:WastetoWealth-TheCircular EconomyAdvantage,2015 9. Accenture:ChromeOSFlexSharedValue Model,2023

16

10. ScienceDirect(J.Suon-Parker): Quantifyinggreenhousegasabatement deliveredbyalternativecomputer operatingsystemdisplacementstrategies, 2022

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook