CIRCULAR ECONOMY
CONTINUED
“Utilising remanufactured or refurbished devices across organisations can reduce the average carbon impact of devices, especially when coupled with mindful WEEE,” he says. “Energy-efficient devices aid in helping businesses scale, as well as manage CO2 emissions and power consumption, reducing operating costs. “By understanding user capability versus requirement, manufacturers can avoid creating workflow bottlenecks while reducing unnecessary resource use. Modular designs that enable easier repair or refurbishment also play a key role in extending device lifecycles and reducing e-waste.” Reseller role With interest growing in the circular economy, resellers have a great opportunity to help customers to achieve their sustainability goals. “Resellers play a critical role by offering refurbished devices that extend product lifespans and reducing the demand for new manufacturing,” says Steve. “Fundamental to this is understanding the requirements of the customer and their end user, while also educating organisation decision-makers on sustainable consumption initiatives that work in tandem with driving down business costs.” Mary says resellers are uniquely positioned to support circular economy principles. “They can add value by offering services such as repair, refurbishment, trade-ins and recycling programs,” she says. “Given that less than one quarter was documented as having been properly collected and recycled in 2022, any action individual consumers can take to repair or recycle their old tech responsibility is a positive contribution to a more sustainable future. Enhancing product repairability – through design features that simplify component access and comprehensive repair guides – empowers users to keep devices in use longer, which reduces e-waste.”
Fostering long-term relationships The circular economy can also help resellers build longer-term relationships with customers as they guide them through the lifecycle of a device. “The circular economy fosters long- term relationships by shifting focus from transactional sales to lifecycle management,” says Steve. “Resellers guide customers through device use, refurbishment, recycling and resale stages for ongoing value. As consumers are increasingly favouring brands that demonstrate environmental responsibility. But similarly, creating longer-term relationships helps ensure better, more tailored recommendations on device procurement and licensing.” Mike adds that if resellers can play a more active role in shaping their customer’s approach to sustainability and managing the lifecycle of IT products, they have a much better chance of becoming a trusted advisor and partner, rather than a one-time seller. “There are relevant services that they can offer, such as device as a service and they can also help customers reduce their costs by proposing the adoption of more energy efficient products,” he adds. “They can also help with trade-ins and disposal of equipment. By doing any or all of this, resellers can add a lot of value for their customers and make sustainability and the circular economy an integral part of their own, unique value proposition.” Nancy agrees that the circular economy model naturally lends itself to relationship-driven service. “Rather than simply selling a product, resellers who support everything from deployment to collection, refurbishment and reuse are becoming embedded partners in the customer’s sustainability journey,” she says. “That creates repeat touchpoints, drives loyalty and opens opportunities for value-added services that go far beyond the initial sale.” n
Steve Dickinson head of supply chain
espria.com
“
If resellers can play a more active role in shaping their customer’s approach to sustainability and managing the lifecycle of IT products, they have a much better chance of becoming a trusted advisor...
”
Mike Barron managing director
synaxon-services.com
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