Sustainable IT hardware explained: what it is and how you can buy it

Sustainable IT is based on the circular economy model. This is a positive move away from the old linear product creation style of ‘take-make-dispose’, to a more sustainable ‘make-use-recycle’ route, making the most of our planet’s limiting resources. 

If you’re looking to buy your IT hardware such as laptops or tablets sustainably, there are a number of options that can help you. The main 2 options are buying remanufactured or refurbished, and leasing or buy-back, both of which can be done using our Technology Products and Associated Services (TePAS) framework.

1) Buying remanufactured or refurbished

Both of these options offer you assurance that you will pay an overall reduced price and the IT equipment will be recycled and disposed of compliantly. With leasing, high-end technology products such as servers and laptops, where the lease is put in place for 2 to 3 years, are usually the best value. To use TePAS for leasing or buy-back, you would need to put this requirement under the special terms when running a further competition..

Remanufactured means to rebuild a product, which uses both recycled and new components to replace the older parts. Refurbishing is for products returned to the manufacturer to be rebuilt and quality checked before resale. For ease of mind, purchasing either type of equipment will come with a full warranty. 

Buying remanufactured or refurbished products has many sustainability benefits, such as:  

• reduces carbon footprint in relation to the supply of equipment, compared to the purchasing of new products
• reduces toxins from seeping into the environment though disposal of equipment
• lower electronic waste (estimated at 45 million tonnes per year) 
• reduces the impact of labour and production including waste, air pollutants, and water pollutants
• more cost effective – a customer of ours has previously purchased refurbished hardware and made a saving of 76% when compared with buying new equipment

To buy remanufactured products through TePAS, all you need to do is put this requirement under the special terms when running a further competition.

2) Lease or buy-back

Leasing IT equipment is an ideal option if you have a short term requirement. This gives you the required equipment for a set period of time, which could be as little as 3 months. 

Buy-back is an increasingly attractive option as it takes product disposal into account. The customer buys and owns the technology but there is a clause in the contract stating the supplier is to buy-back all or part of the purchased equipment after a certain period of time. That equipment can then be remanufactured and reused, in turn assisting the circular economy.

Empowering you to make sustainable buying decisions

You can find more information on the purchasing options in our TePAS buyer guidance, available in the document section on our website. 

Our experts are here to support you to make sustainable choices in your next procurement. Complete our online form to let us know your requirements and a member of our team will be in touch.