What are Scope 3 emissions? How is device reuse better for sustainability numbers than recycling? Sustainability is a staple across the business landscape, and these questions are at the forefront of sustainability efforts. Many companies want to take this step, but are unsure how. Responsible IT asset disposition is key to sustainable solutions, but recycling isn’t always the best path. This blog post breaks down the uniqueness of device reuse and how it supports the circular economy, and discusses how this route cuts more Scope 3 emissions versus recycling or destruction.
The Different Pathways for IT Asset Disposition
When people think about responsible disposition, their mind often jumps to recycling, because they see the green symbol everywhere they go. However, there are multiple paths for IT asset disposition, and more environmentally-friendly disposal options than people may realize.
Destruction – Shredding, smelting, and incinerating are often used to dispose of used electronics, but none of these options preserve resources or protect the environment. In fact, each increases carbon emissions.
Recycling – Recycling is the most well-known method of IT asset disposition, as it involves collecting used or discarded waste materials, processing them, and turning them into new raw materials or products.
Device Reuse – Device reuse is often included in the disposition process at ITAD facilities. Devices are graded, repaired if necessary, and refurbished to be resold. This keeps them in circulation and out of waste streams.
Parts Harvesting – Not all non-functioning devices are useless. Parts harvesting enables working parts such as a camera or screen to be removed and placed into a working device for reuse.
How The Tech Industry Navigates Sustainability
The tech industry has experienced mounting pressure over the last two decades to incorporate sustainability as technology continues to rapidly evolve. In 2006, the first wave of sustainability efforts was driven by internet data center expansions and revisions to the Energy Star Program. This forced companies to examine their server power usage and e-waste recycling efforts. The next wave came in 2015 as growing investor and consumer expectations drove major cloud and hardware giants to set public carbon-neutral and 100 percent renewable energy goals. The last four years have been consumed with the AI boom, creating increased sustainability pressure as generative AI and data center expansions strain global power grids.
Nowadays, many tech giants are implementing recyclable packaging, altering hardware designs, and actively working to reduce carbon emissions. Recycling is a popular choice because it is easy to find a recycling partner and ship all used equipment out of sight. Though it checks the environmental safety box, it’s not necessarily always the most sustainable option.
Device Reuse as Part of The Circular Loop
An industry hot topic is the circular economy, which focuses on reducing, reusing, and recycling materials. The circular economic model replaces the traditional “take, make, waste” system and focuses on three pillars: Eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products and materials, and regenerating nature. Device reuse helps close the circular loop by keeping used electronics in circulation rather than diverting them to e-waste streams. Recycling is a natural option because it’s heavily marketed, but it doesn’t improve sustainability. Recycling provides end-of-life management at a higher energy and carbon cost, whereas reuse is an end-of-use service designed to extend IT lifecycles beyond decommissioning.
What Are Scope 3 Emissions?
A large aspect of sustainability efforts lies in carbon emission reduction. There are three main scopes of carbon emissions, and targeting each one can help reduce your overall carbon footprint.
Scope 1: Direct emissions are from things an organization directly owns or controls, such as fuel and gas boilers.
Scope 2: Indirect energy is from things a company buys, such as electricity or heating used to power a building.
Scope 3: Value chain emissions are all other emissions up and down the supply chain, such as business travel, employee commute, and the manufacturing of purchased goods.
E-waste destruction methods fall under scope 3 emissions, and the method you choose directly impacts your scope 3 carbon emissions. In a sustainability-focused business landscape, high scope 3 emissions can negatively impact enterprise environmental credit. Fortunately, device reuse can help companies actively reduce their scope 3 emissions.
Achieve Scope 3 Reduction with Retired IT Equipment
Device reuse involves repairing used devices and refurbishing them for resale. Directing them to the secondary market keeps them out of the waste stream and extends the device lifecycle, closing the circular economic loop. Reusing IT assets rather than recycling them actively cuts Scope 3 emissions by helping reduce demand for new devices to be manufactured, effectively preventing the release of embodied carbon.
Reuse Challenges & The Right to Repair Solution
Device reuse is incredibly beneficial to enterprises and the environment; however, the industry still faces many challenges, chief among them repair roadblocks. The repair process is only possible if repair shops and vendors have access to tools and information required to perform the repairs. However, large tech companies are notorious for restricting access to certain tools and information that enables smooth repair. Additionally, device design has been a major industry roadblock for years now. Tech giants like Apple use glue and adhesives to seal batteries and glass screens in place, making safe battery removal extremely difficult and often impossible. RAM and solid-state storage drives are often soldered directly onto motherboards, rendering upgrades and minor adjustments impossible. Apple is also known for using custom tools that are restricted to third-party repair shops and vendors.
The Right to Repair movement has helped dismantle these challenges by pushing repair legislation across the country that forces OEMs to provide necessary tools and information for safe device repairs.
Tips on How to Accurately Report Scope 3 Emissions
One way to ensure your company meets sustainability goals is through reporting. Below are some tips on how to accurately report Scope 3 emissions.
- Prioritize high-accuracy calculation methods
- Map relevant value chain categories
- Maintain transparent disclosures
Increase Value Recovery by Partnering with an ITAD Provider for Device Reuse
As an R2v3, RIOS, NAID AAA, and ISO 14001 certified provider with more than 30 years of industry experience, HOBI provides end-of-life services designed to extend asset lifecycle, increase value recovery, and prioritize environmental protection. HOBI provides clients with quantifiable data to track their progress through quarterly and yearly ESG reports that include emission savings. HOBI also showcased its Carbon Calculator last year, which enables visitors to enter their own data and provides a snapshot of their emissions savings, along with additional information to help them interpret the results and understand why tracking this data matters.
ITAD isn’t just about asset disposition; it’s about emission reduction. Download the HOBI ESG overview, or contact HOBI today at 877-814-2620 or sales@hobi.com.