News in the Channel - issue #29

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

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without overprovisioning devices.” Zach Bennett, Microsoft Teams MVP and principal architect at LoopUp, notes that the growing interest in the circular economy within the tech device sector. “Businesses are becoming more aware of sustainability issues, particularly in reducing electronic waste and extending device lifecycles,” he says. “This interest is reflected in a rising number of multinational clients interested in reducing the physical plastic handset devices on their users’ desks in favour of soft clients. Microsoft Teams, for example, is a popular alternative to wasteful plastic devices as it enables users to reduce waste by reusing legacy analogue equipment.” Business sense Mike Barron, UK managing director, SYNAXON, adds that it isn’t just about the environment. “Being more sustainable makes sense for businesses, as it lowers their costs,” he says. “Many, if not most businesses now have their own ESG goals and that’s going to drive greater interest in lifecycle management and the circular economy. “The question perhaps is how quickly they will be compelled to adopt more sustainable practices. The UK government is encouraging SMBs to commit to halving their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. But how many SMBs are taking meaningful action? I think our industry may need to come up with a compelling value proposition to bring more businesses into the circular economy for IT.”

into the engineering brief,” Nancy says. “At HP, for example, our teams are guided by circular design principles and participate in repairability scoring schemes. We’re also expanding programmes like Planet Partners and HP Renew to extend product lifecycles and maximise material recovery.” Mary agrees that manufacturers are rethinking product development from the ground up. “They are integrating sustainability into every stage of the product journey – from sourcing raw materials to end-of-life management,” she says. “Dematerialisation – using fewer resources while enhancing durability and repairability – is fundamental as a design philosophy for products and packaging. To reduce dependence on primary raw materials, which can be significant contributors to emissions, many companies are shifting towards recycled and renewable materials for products and packaging.” Mary adds that sustainable packaging is evolving, with a push to eliminate plastics entirely and switch to renewable, compostable or recyclable materials. “Meanwhile, more manufacturers are using post-consumer recycled content in devices themselves, aiming to create closed-loop systems that significantly cut down on virgin material use and waste,” she says. “Future trends point to greater use of modular designs, recyclable or reusable materials and components, simplified disassembly, and increasing take-back schemes for material recovery. “For example, at Lenovo we have worked to help reduce the electronic waste for many years, and our Asset Recovery and Certified Refurbished services are a key part of this. We also have partnered with iFixit to evaluate the repairability of our ThinkPad models and have published almost 200step-by-step self-repair guides, with more on the way.” Steve adds that manufacturers are taking significant steps by working with IT leaders on their sustainability strategy directly.

Nancy Powell sustainability lead, UK&I

hp.com

Sustainability is no longer seen as a side initiative, it’s becoming central to how businesses define long-term value. “ ”

Manufacturer response Manufacturers are increasingly

Zach Bennett Microsoft Teams MVP and principal architect

responding to this growing interest in the circular economy. “Many manufacturers are revisiting the design process from the ground up, replacing adhesives with mechanical fasteners to enable disassembly, using more recycled content in production, and building repairability

loopup.com

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