We are in the middle of a climate crisis. As the UN points out: “Rising temperatures are fueling environmental degradation, natural disasters, weather extremes, food and water insecurity, economic disruption, conflict, and terrorism. Sea levels are rising, the Arctic is melting, coral reefs are dying, oceans are acidifying, and forests are burning.” Now is the time for bold action.

Electronic waste is a problem that will only continue to accelerate in the next decade or so. Statistics show that e-waste will grow from 57.4 million to 74.7 million tonnes a year until 2030. This means businesses – small, medium or large – need to do their part in the collective effort against climate change. The planet cannot wait any longer as it is dying in front of our very eyes.

So, how can businesses dispose of old technology in an environmentally friendly way?

Follow the line of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle.’

According to Green Groundswell, all four can be put to the test when it comes to e-waste. 

Reduce – Look to only purchase new electronic devices when absolutely necessary. By buying more products when they become readily available, the environment will only be damaged further via manufacturing, shipping, depleting resources etc.

Reuse – Make good use of the technology as much as possible. Company assets can be passed from former employees to new employees if needed, for example. So keep it within the business.

Repair – Broken down tech? Don’t replace it immediately. Instead, have a technician come down to find a solution to the problem first. This can save considerable money and time spent replacing it.

Recycle – Finally, if all else fails, recycle the equipment rather than making it e-waste instead. The valuable materials are potentially toxic but can be safely recycled to recover precious metals.

Donate to charity.

In the previous article, we discussed donations to charities that help them raise vital funds. This has a positive impact in many ways. For example, E-waste is averted, charities are able to continue their amazing work, and the donating company will receive positive praise, which then helps business.

Look to donate to local charities as they will be in need of the equipment most. If none can be found, then regional or national charities will suffice. There could even be specialist charities.

This can be in the form of The Air Ambulance Service, which has a free IT Asset Reuse collection and data wiping service for donated IT equipment. This subsequently helps raise vital funds for the life-saving charity. Another, WeeeCharity, aims to help relieve poverty by offering free recycling of electrical equipment to businesses, residential and educational facilities.

Schools also seek new equipment every now and then. Donate there if possible.

Sell to other clients.

If the technology is still in good nick, perhaps look to sell it on for the right price. This will provide a further benefit to the business – funds which can then be used elsewhere or donated.

Work with clients to make sure the tech is reused by someone else later down the line rather than be sold for parts or thrown away. Doing everything to protect the climate, including things out of the company’s control, is best practice and reflects the environmental policies set out.

When coming to sell, it is best to clean the technology up to make it as reliable as possible to use. Performance can be affected if it has not been taken care of properly.

Only look to do this if all other options have been tried and tested. But whatever it takes to protect the environment, rather than harm it, is the way forward.

Erase data from the systems beforehand.

Unfortunately, when resetting a device, the data which has been logged in previously will not be erased entirely. However, it has been shown time and again that with some deletion methods, data can be retrieved. Unfortunately, this means that redeploying assets is too risky, and there will be more difficulty maintaining the highest standards of security demanded.

After scouring the world for data-deletion methods, we are proud to partner with WhiteCanyon Software which supplies the most highly certified data erasure software globally. With WhiteCanyon, erasure standards can be configured and given tamperproof certification.

Their WipeDrive 9 and VeriDrive software are the perfect combinations that completely solves the problem of data erasure. WipeDrive ensures data is completely erased and unrecoverable. Military-grade wiping technology is used to overwrite data multiple times using Department-of-Defense-approved wipe patterns, ensuring it is completely unrecoverable. VeriDrive, on the other hand, is used to verify that WipeDrive was appropriately used to erase the data and comply with NIST 800-88 requirements.

To find out more, visit our website today! Alternatively, give us a call on 0345 340 3105 to speak directly to our team or fill out an enquiry form. We look forward to hearing from you and welcome any potential questions you may possibly have.