E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, producing around 50 million tons of electronic trash every year; by 2050, e-waste production is expected to reach 100M tons.

Not only have online learning, hybrid work, and widespread digitization started to contribute more and more to the e-waste problem, organizations of all sizes are struggling to handle the day-to-day issues of what to do with IT equipment that’s past its prime or no longer fits their IT strategy.

Focusing on your company’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals has become critical, especially as organizations place value in both their impact and how their customers and board perceive their actions.

And, when it comes to technology, an IT asset disposition (ITAD) provider is the solution for properly recycling, reusing or disposing of obsolete or unneeded IT equipment in an environmentally-responsible way.

But not all ITAD providers are the same nor do they all abide by the same standards, processes or values.

There are specific features and benefits ITAD providers should fulfill to properly carry out your company’s ESG goals. Keep these qualities in mind when you’re choosing a provider to work with.

Data Security

Data breaches cost businesses on average $4.35 million per breach in 2022, not to mention untold reputational and legal damages. Prioritizing keeping private information confidential should be paramount any time systems are upgraded and equipment is discarded.

But, not all ITAD providers do this well; they may not properly wipe or destroy data and hard drives. They may not track exactly where a hard drive is or be able to provide you with evidence certifying the data has been destroyed, particularly troublesome for organizations focused on proper governance and risk management.

GreenTek Solutions deploys industrial-grade wiping software and massively powerful shredders designed to specifically destroy data-containing devices. Additionally, the GreenTek premises are secure with access controlled areas that are limited to authorized personnel. Despite going above and beyond to do things right, GreenTek also carries insurance to cover data breaches, so any impacted client would be fully protected.

Certification & Documentation

Handling e-waste has a lot of rules and guidelines and, if you get it wrong, the penalties are stiff. But not every ITAD provider is going to have Responsible Recycling certifications or experience handling large amounts of sensitive materials.

For example, some of the biggest companies in the U.S. have been hit with hefty penalties for the improper handling of e-waste:

• Big Lots had to pay a $3.5 million settlement.
• The owner of Dollar General was ordered to pay $1.1 million for similar infractions.
• The state of California collected nearly $26 million from Comcast.

GreenTek Solutions is R2v3 certified and will provide you with a Certificate of Data Destruction. This formal document gives you detailed information on the destruction or erasure of any data and guarantees that the destruction process is in compliance with all data security regulations and best practices.

GreenTek also offers additional certificates and reports depending on your needs, including:

• Certificate of recycling and disposal.
• Erasure report.
• Physical destruction report.
• Manifest/inventory report.

On the governance side of things, these reports and certifications go a long way in ensuring your business is protected from risk and has substantial documentation.

Refurbishing IT Assets

Not all ITAD providers will refurbish used IT equipment; some will send it straight to recycling, which is certainly better than alternatives. However, refurbishing IT assets that are still technically relevant has two big benefits:

1 - Less mining for raw materials. Electronics require metals like silver, gold, lithium, silicon, and they are predicted to be scarce in the not-too-distant future. For example, cobalt (used to make lithium batteries) is expected to be depleted within about 40 years at the current pace.

Furthermore, mining for raw materials has a heavy environmental impact; from mining equipment emitting exhaust gasses to groundwater and runoff pollution to the destruction of nearby flora and fauna, the less mining that happens, the better.

2- Extending the lifespan of a device. With a longer overall use, the carbon footprint of a single device is stretched out across many years. Plus, these refurbished items are accessible to clients wanting to invest less in brand new technology and more in ESG efforts.

This offers one additional bonus: the longer devices last, the more time we have to find even more efficient, effective ways of dealing with e-waste and extracting valuable materials.

Whenever possible, GreenTek Solutions refurbishes IT assets following an asset disposition project. After properly conducting data erasure/destruction and in-depth testing, consumers get access to eco-friendly, like-new devices

Scope 3 Emissions

Scope 3 emissions are the result of activities beyond an organization's direct control. For example, every time a person buys a plastic bottle that gets tossed in the trash and not recycled, they’re contributing to a company’s Scope 3 emissions.

In the context of technology and IT, organizations are producing Scope 3 emissions as they purchase new equipment, get rid of IT assets, and carry out other normal business practices, so it’s wise to be mindful of the impact and opportunities.

However, as many ESG experts know, properly tracking and attributing Scope 3 emissions can be a murky and challenging task, one rarely helped by ITAD providers. However, GreenTek Solutions offers detailed tracking to help organizations:

• Pinpoint emissions trouble spots in the value chain so they can be remedied.
• Accurately collect and analyze Scope 3 emissions for governance, annual reports and ESG goal tracking
• Plan IT/technology strategies and make informed decisions about policies that impact emissions, like remote work or moving to the cloud.

Each year, GreenTek Solutions provides clients an annual summary about their positive impact, from the amount of raw material diverted to reuse to the equivalent reduction in cars on the road; clients can request detailed reports on-demand, giving transparency into energy savings equivalencies, greenhouse gas reductions, air and water emission reductions, toxic material/metals diversion and more.

Project Scale

In most cases, ITAD providers are small and local, which may suffice for small businesses and uncomplicated ITAD processes.

However, they’re typically unable to carry out large or complex projects, which can involve dozens of people, tens of thousands of devices and many terabytes of sensitive data.

For example, GreenTek Solutions helped a Fortune 50 retailer execute a nationwide ITAD project across 1,150 locations, helping the retailer upgrade their computers and point-of-sale systems. They required an all-in-one R2-certified ITAD partner who could not only handle a complicated, nationwide ITAD process—without the help of other ITAD vendors—but provide extensive reporting.

This cohesive strategy and processed approach allowed the client to consolidate their assets across hundreds of locations in record time. If you’re running a large company and you’re serious about ESG, you'll need an ITAD partner who is big (and sophisticated) enough to help.

Internal policies and values

When organizations need to hire an ITAD partner, they should be considering a team that aligns with their values. Not every ITAD provider will.

GreenTek is a minority-owned business, earning a spot in Apple’s Impact Accelerator as an innovative black-and-brown owned business. Through ongoing efforts, they have achieved zero carbon impact, support the local community by donating IT assets, and make the customer experience a priority, investing in their team members through ongoing development.

When it comes to an ITAD partner that shares in the ESG vision, GreenTek checks all the boxes.

GreenTek Solutions Helps You Achieve Your ESG Goals

Let GTS help you responsibly, efficiently, and safely handle your IT asset disposition so that you’re hitting your ESG goals and doing your part to reduce, reuse, recycle, and keep e-waste out of landfills.

Get in touch today to see how we can help your business.