Recognizing Environmental Impacts on International E-Waste Day
This year, International E-Waste Day falls on 14 October and will focus on the reuse and recycling of small e-waste, under the slogan “Recycle it all, no matter how small!” Small electrical devices include mobile phones, smart watches, electric toothbrushes, and tablets. This becomes e-waste when households and businesses leave them unused or throw them away, even if they’re in perfectly usable condition. In Europe, up to 1.4 kg of e-waste per inhabitant ends up in the general waste bin every year. In an average European household, up to 5 kg of e-devices per person is currently hoarded. The UN estimated that in 2019, over 22 million tonnes of small e-waste were produced globally. At this rate, the total global e-waste will amount to 29 million tonnes by 2030.
Tech Data is constantly working to make the proper disposal of small e-waste simple and convenient by embedding circular economy principles in its product life cycle management strategy and partnering with stakeholders to minimise waste through repair, refurbishment, and recycling.
The circular economy for second-hand smartphones generated $13.3 billion revenue in 2021 alone, this is set to grow 48% this year as large companies invest in trade-in and refurbishment services. However, as many as 1.3 billion phones will reach their first end-of-life by the end of 2022 — almost half will remain in drawers or be thrown out. By giving smartphones a second life, businesses and consumers can avoid 82% of the emissions associated with production and end-of-use.
Tech Data Renew
Retailers, resellers, and mobile operators are quietly reducing their carbon footprint behind the scenes by helping their B2B and B2C end-user customers trade-in their old/end-of-life gadgets to be refurbished, recycled, and reused. Tech Data Renew, the online trade-in portal, now has over 5,000 registered resellers, more than 500 retail partners, in 18 countries across EMEA. Device trade-in provides a cost-efficient way to maintain a close relationship with customers, while offering more product refresh opportunities. On average, Tech Data Renew processes 75,000 units of mobiles, tablets, smart watches, and Macs each month.
For devices that cannot be given a second lease of life, Tech Data partners with UltraRecycle, a restore technology company, that helps with the recycling process. They strip the devices of raw materials, where they are processed through their AATF facility. Last year, Tech Data processed a total of 351,699 mobile handsets, either reused or recycles from the reseller’s customers. As a result, Tech Data kept over 33 tonnes of ferreous materials from ending up in landfills and stopped more than 42kg of rare material becoming e-waste.
“Tech Data Renew offers us good valuation of devices and also the speed of processes. This trade-in service is fast and on the spot, the customer doesn’t have to waste time placing ads. They can come to our stores, choose the model they need, and we make the immediate repurchase. Quick and easy, we care about the time and enjoyment of our customers. They can quickly get rid of their used device and start enjoying a new model with a good discount.” Rossellimac, Spanish mobile phone retailer
“Prompt and responsive account management from Vassil and the team, backed up by a fast and transparent trade-in system, which keeps the reseller informed and involved in the process.” MR Systems, UK hardware and software provider
Tech-as-a-Service
For businesses with funding obstacles, Tech Data also provides a subscription-based technology known as Technology-as-a-Service (TaaS) that helps users save up to 30% through lower total cost of ownership, which provides environmental performance support and higher residual value and satisfaction. For resellers, it provides predictable recurring business and a new service-led revenue stream.
By paying for this technology as a fixed monthly fee — via an all-in-one payment option including hardware, software, and services — it is much easier for the end-customer to commit to a major outlay of new technology that’s essential to their operation. This therefore avoids the problem of overprovisioning; a common practice in which companies “overbuy” IT and organisations can be freed from being chained to their IT kit for the whole of its lifecycle.
“TaaS allows our customers to access the latest Apple technology without having to consume their own resources, avoiding hidden costs, and leveraging the high residual value of Apple products to achieve attractive fees.” iDooTech, Spanish Authorised Apple Reseller
“The process is very quick, in just a few steps, it allows us to manage the entire subscription for our customers.” Intecat, Spanish Apple Premium Reseller
TaaS and Tech Data Renew provide the channel with a responsible asset disposition that maximises technology value and provides a sustainable outcome. Resellers can create long-term relationships with their customers and automate processes for ease of use. At the same time, customers receive the latest endpoint devices at a cheaper cost and do not need to be concerned about the disposal of used products. This not only enables our economy to become more circular, by breaking established patterns of mismatched supply and demand, but also has the potential to generate significant growth opportunities for the channel and any industry.
