Nathaniel Comer, founder of Sun Screen IT, advises on ethical IT asset disposal, the changes needed to end e-waste and how companies can become environmentally responsible.
The Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean is many people’s idea of paradise. Within a network of 26 atolls are 1,192 islands – some inhabited, others not – home to luxury resorts with pretty beachside bungalows, the whitest of soft sand shaded by palm and coconut trees, and an ocean teaming with wildlife.
Yet lurking within this idyllic archipelago is Thilafushi, an artificial island of rubbish close to the capital Malé that receives 330 tonnes of waste every day. It is indicative of man’s relationship with the environment that even in one of the most beautiful corners of the world garbage is creating an environmental catastrophe.
For years, the developed world has been using low-income developing nations as a dumping ground for their rubbish including millions of tonnes of e-waste. Often, this is shipped to the developing world under the guise of charitable donations; we get rid of unwanted technology and developing nations get ‘access IT’.
While it is true that 998 million pupils globally don’t have access to usable IT that could boost their earning potential and enable them and their communities to get out of poverty, the reality is that much of the equipment shipped isn’t fit for purpose. Some schools in West Africa report having hundreds of PCs. Unfortunately, none of them work, so they end up being used as room dividers or even tables.
One problem is that while businesses are inspired by organisations such as Science Based Target Initiatives, EcoVadis and Morningstar Sustainalytics to meet ESG goals, only 28% of companies surveyed by Uptime Institute consider IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) to be a key part of their sustainability strategy, despite its obvious impact on the environment and data security.
Most businesses have no idea how their equipment is dealt with, nor, given the number of third parties involved in the ‘IT chain of custody’, where components end up. Many, without knowing it, will be dumping IT illegally, especially if they have not used an accredited ITAD provider.
In the UK alone around 750 companies purport to offer secure IT disposal. However, only 24 are ADISA certified to standard 8.0, approved by UK ICO as part of the UK GDPR Certification Scheme.
Most companies in the sector are focused on two things – generating profit and securely wiping customers’ data. Few have embraced the circular economy, which is what’s needed to tackle e-waste and conserve finite resources used in the manufacture of electronic devices: it is estimated that if we mine at the current rate, gold and silver will run out in about 15 years and platinum and copper in around 30 years.
There’s now a market for recycled materials that’s driving progress in the sector. In a three-month period, a retail client of ours collected 1.05 tons of IT equipment – printers, phones, PCs, laptops, iPads, servers, card readers etc. – of which just 22kg couldn’t be reused or recycled.
The circular economy is inspiring other firms to break the wasteful technology upgrade cycle. With apps, storage and processing now done in the cloud, the requirement to have the latest desktops and upgrade them every 3 to 5 years disappears (research shows it takes 190,000 litres of water to manufacture a single PC, with 85% of the carbon overhead generated during manufacture).
Our partner, IGEL, provider of a managed endpoint operating system that allows users to access any digital or cloud workspace, helped Markerstudy, the sixth largest car insurer in the UK, to save £1 million on new desktop computers by extending the life of older devices. Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust saved £500,000 in the same way.
By working effectively like this companies can cut waste, achieve their ESG agendas honestly and significant steps towards a greener future where IT isn’t a major polluter.
www.sunscreenIt.com
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