Rod Neale, CEO of Circular Computing
Remanufactured IT has had a long and challenging road for itself.
Consumers and businesses have sometimes turned their noses up when they hear about second-life tech, betraying a well-worn – but incorrect – assumption that if it’s not brand new then it cannot measure up on performance. It’s an idea that has been hard to dispel.
However, as time has passed and sustainability and financial pressures mounted for both businesses and consumers, the tide has slowly changed.
Circular Computing is founded on the idea that a more ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible way to buy enterprise-grade IT exists. Our recent four-year deal with the Irish government, worth €30 million, is a testament to this guiding message. As remanufactured notebooks start to proliferate within the public sector, the spark for adopting second-life tech has been ignited.
How a commitment to standards has accelerated remanufactured IT
Crucially, Ireland’s adoption of remanufactured IT does not reflect a commitment to a particular brand, but a specific standard – and this is the guarantee that is needed for procurement at scale. A good illustration of the importance of consistency is the McDonald’s business model.
A key factor that enabled McDonald’s to become a dominant fast-food brand is the standardisation they deployed rather than any taste test. The factory-line approach they introduced to make a faster and more consistent product meant that commercial efficiencies went hand in hand with customer satisfaction. To this day, when customers visit a McDonald’s in any part of the world, they will have the same quality product.
Applying this to the IT second-life market, standardisation is where this industry needs to head. Businesses buying products in bulk across different departments and offices want guarantees of standards and elimination of risk. A recognisable standard gives companies the confidence to invest in a product rather than shy away from it. When considering second-life models, such as refurbished products, the variability of these models can be a sticking point.
The warranty on such designs cannot be guaranteed in the same way, and refurbished models may not demonstrate the same set standards or look and feel like new. This is where the BSI (British Standards Institute) Kitemark standards BS8887-220 and BS8887-211 for remanufactured laptops is a vital benchmark. This provides peace of mind on consistency and proves that our second-life models are ‘equal to or better than brand new’ models.
Why Ireland is the perfect template for success
Yet while you can lead a horse to water, you cannot make it drink. Without pioneers to demonstrate the remanufactured model, businesses would always be able to push the transition down their list of priorities, waiting for others to “go first”. This is especially true at a time when prioritising sustainability goals from firms has fallen to its lowest level in four years. Sustainability remains a subject where warm words can often be a substitute for positive action. Despite this, the Irish state’s commitment to remanufactured tech is the positive action we seek. Their decision is a green light to prioritising sustainability and tech that helps the planet.
If Ireland, home to some of the world’s biggest MNCs and with a reputation for being forward-thinking in technology, can put its faith in second-life tech at the heart of government, nothing is holding back other nations.
The deal with the Irish sector can standardise other governments’ procurement practices, including remanufactured IT. It is a template for other governments to follow on their path to Net Zero and, with second-life laptops costing up to 40% less than equivalent new models, demonstrates that you can purchase tech sustainably while reducing expenditure.
We are now at a stage where public and private sector organisations across the world can no longer kick the can down the road when it comes to sustainable tech or have the excuse of not having a proof point on second-life IT.
The Irish deal is the perfect exemplar for remanufactured IT and can start the domino effect for a sustainable tech revolution.