Case study

By reusing, recycling and reselling IT Assets BMI and Telefónica Tech are supporting the circular economy and shifting to more sustainable IT.

THE CHALLENGE – TACKLING E-WASTE

BMI had a large quantity of old, decommissioned computers and devices taking up much-needed space across the EU. These units were either dated or damaged and no longer fit for business use. With the help of Telefónica Tech’s service, 600 units have been reused and resold with a further 3,000 units set to be processed over the next two years. This initiative will reduce 1M Kg of CO2 emissions and save 6K Kg of e-waste from being sent to landfill over the next 2 years*

THE SOLUTION – MAXIMISING UNUSED ASSET VALUE 

Following collection from BMI offices across Europe the Telefónica Tech UK&I team carefully tested, graded, and documented each asset.

Firstly, they securely wiped data to meet GDPR guidelines. Next, any items failing data removal tests were safely destroyed and shredded to a 6mm standard. Finally, they graded items to be resold, used as parts, or completely re-engineered back into new assets.  

E-waste has become on of the world's fastest-growing streams on the planet. The latest Word Economic forum data puts the latest estimated annual figure at 57.4 billion tonnes.

World Economic Forum

THE RESULTS – IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY

By using Telefónica Tech’s Service, BMI is recovering the value from legacy IT while improving its sustainability position.

The cost of processing is offset by the value of the upcycled assets, with credit provided against future orders.

A total of 3,000 units are set to be  processed over the next two years. In addition to CO2 and  landfill reductions, removing the need to remanufacture and remine assets, will also save 1.3M litres of water and 841 thousand tonnes of earth from being mined.  This equates to 6.2 M equivalent kilometres in an average family car*.

 As a further step towards sustainability, Telefónica Tech is currently working closely with BMI to build out its cloud-based desktop platform.

This will mean less equipment on premises, more energy-efficient thin clients, plus computing power from Azure, which has been 100% carbon neutral since 2012. It will also offer teams across the globe even greater flexibility to work in efficient, sustainable ways with greater control over their carbon footprint.

OUTCOMES

• 1M Kg of CO2 saved through goods reused, removing the need to remanufacture
• 6K Kg not destined for landfill
• 76 M litres of water saved
• 4.8 M tonnes of earth not mined
• 6.2 M equivalent kilometres in an average family car

SOLUTION OVERVIEW

Asset recycling, reuse, and resale of decommissioned assets:

• Secure Data Destruction to GDPR compliant standard
• Grading of assets for resale, reuse, and repurposing

*Figures are based on 3,000 units processed over 24 months. See full methodology