Sustainability is something we are all mindful of.
We are all becoming more conscious of our need to be more sustainable & whether at home, at work, in education or in business; striving for a more sustainable future has become an organic way of life.
Businesses across the globe are now seeking ways to incorporate sustainable ways of working, are forging sustainability policies and are seeking partnerships which will help them in their sustainability missions.
Many businesses appoint sustainability officers and or expand management or leadership roles to incorporate sustainability as part of their wider roles.
Companies are now seeking training to support their sustainability knowledge. One such provider is The University of Cambridge who are now offering an online Business Sustainability Course. The course is designed for those who want to expand their sustainability knowledge across various organisations, industries and practices; including business, consulting, environmental, social and governance (ESG), and energy sectors. The course is also suitable for those in management or leadership roles and want to lead the sustainability transition within their team and organisation (1)
With the need to embrace sustainable practises in business growing, it is not only necessary to develop an understanding of how a business can be more sustainable; it’s also necessary to understand how the technology which supports businesses can be more sustainable.
All companies have a need for an IT infrastructure & in particular the need for laptops and or desktop computers. There are now many companies who are not only able to offer refurbished IT equipment, but remanufactured equipment too.
One UK company tackling the need for sustainable IT hardware are Circular ComputingTM based in Portsmouth.
The Circular ComputingTM ethos is based around remanufacturing laptops. ‘Remanufactured’ laptops are new to the technology world as Circular ComputingTM have developed this process over the recent years. The term was coined as it reflected what Circular ComputingTM do which is to rebuild the used laptops to deliver a performance that is truly comparable to new. (2)
Circular ComputingTM are serious about their mission to reduce CO2 in the IT sector and their statistics could go a long way to supporting businesses in reducing their CO2 as well.
CO2 REDUCTION
For every Circular Computing remanufactured laptop, approximately 316kg (700lb) of CO2 emissions are prevented by not buying new. For just 1,000 laptops, that is the same as taking 80 cars off the road for a year.
WATER SAVING
Over 190,000 litres (50,000 gallons) of water is saved from being used for extraction, refining & production of one new computer and its components. That is enough drinking water for over 700 years for the average American.
RESOURCE PRESERVATION
To manufacture the necessary materials to create each component of one laptop, 1,200 kg of the Earth’s resources are mined and consumed. Remanufacturing not only prevents the consumption of additional resources, but also avoids the e-waste from the disposal of a laptop. (3)
Every laptop purchased from Circular ComputingTM is a certified Carbon Neutral Plus Product and their carbon footprint has been assessed following ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol. Any residual GreenHouse Gas emissions are offset using verified projects to achieve carbon neutrality. (3)
Like many companies who now offer a sustainability promise, when a Circular ComputingTM laptop is purchased, they invest in clean energy projects around the world and finance 5 trees to be planted in your company name through their reforestation partners.
Circular ComputingTM are part of a wider and growing industry which is now embracing ways to reuse technology based on the circular economy model and in doing so, can support businesses in achieving their sustainability goals, whilst reducing their carbon footprint.
Written & cited by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
NB: Virtually Smart Ltd are not affiliated with Circular ComputingTM
- https://cisl-onlinecourses.getsmarter.com/presentations/lp/university-of-cambridge-business-sustainability-management-online-short-course-
- https://circularcomputing.com/
- https://circularcomputing.com/sustainable-it/
