Executive exchange 2021: navigating the ESG revolution with Deborah Marson

IT executives can’t afford to ignore the e-waste problem. Fortunately, there are many ways to make responsible disposition manageable and even a source of financial benefit. A central tenet is circularity, which aims to move away from the traditional linear "take-make-dispose" model and embrace practices that promote reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling.

As the challenges of e-waste and unsustainable resource consumption intensify, the adoption of circular economy principles offers a viable pathway for IT organizations to mitigate environmental impacts while simultaneously enhancing their operational efficiency and improving the bottom line.

Extending the life of IT equipment through reuse and refurbishment not only contributes to an organization’s sustainability initiatives but is also an essential component of an IT cost management strategy. IT asset disposition (ITAD), or the process of safely and responsibly disposing of obsolete or unwanted IT equipment, is evolving to encompass circularity principles that extend equipment life through reuse and refurbishment.