IT asset disposition consists of responsible e-waste management, but the ITAD process looks a little different for mobile assets. Mobile assets are the most commonly used form of electronics in the world, with 60 percent of the world’s population owning a mobile device. Most mobile devices contain Lithium-Ion batteries, making them more challenging to dispose of than electronics without LIBs. Mobile devices can also be reused, making the disposition process more unique than traditional IT assets. Discover how mobile device disposition is unique by walking through the mobile lifecycle management process, including device reuse.
- Processing: After IT assets are collected and the check-in process is completed, decisions are made on each item’s salability. Some retired assets still have some use left and can be remarketed to maximize their value.
- Data Erasure: Part of device processing is data erasure, but the erasure process is entirely different for mobile devices. Data remains on electronic devices after retirement, but mobile devices are not completely overwritten, unlike traditional hard drives. Data erasure on a mobile device consists of deleting the customer data and restoring the original device operating system. The challenge lies in deleting a large portion of data while ensuring the client’s data remains on the device. Data erasure increases the value of retired IT assets by enabling them to be reused. This helps reduce the demand for new devices to be manufactured and provides a cost-effective alternative to new devices. Device reuse also helps keep mobile devices out of the waste stream.
- Repair & Remarketing: After erasure, mobile devices are tested, and diagnostics are run to determine if there are any defective components. Due to the rapid evolution of technology, many mobile devices are discarded while they are still in working order and can be repaired and remarketed for device reuse. All used devices eligible for resale are repaired, if necessary, and redeployed during this stage. Asset redeployment helps prolong the life cycle of retired IT assets. It supports a circular economy by keeping assets in circulation longer and entirely out of the waste stream.
Some clients donate retired IT assets to those in need, such as nursing homes, schools, or small businesses. Some ITAD facilities offer donation programs to help serve the community, assisting clients to achieve social ESG goals.
- Demanufacturing & Recycling: Assets that cannot be resold or donated are sorted for de-manufacturing, a core function of HOBI International. HOBI believes in the sustainability of a circular economy and employs a manual disassembly process to allow maximum recovery of re-salable parts and scrap material. HOBI’s goal in disassembly is to recover and create the maximum return on scrap material for our clients while ensuring all hazardous elements are identified and processed properly. All recyclable material generated in the de-manufacturing process is entered into HOBI’s asset tracking system to allow scrap revenue recovery to be tracked back to a specific client load code.
For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.