Recycling and refurbishment – how every partner can play their part

Through TD SYNNEX Renew, you can help your customers reach their sustainability goals and ensure that equipment is recycled or refurbished and made available where it is needed most, in an ethical and environmentally-friendly way.

Sustainability matters

We’ve probably all got a few laptops and mobile phones gathering dust somewhere. Maybe it’s worth asking your customers whether they do too? If they have got old kit just lying around, why not try to do something with it? Recycle or refurbish it? And perhaps even realise some value from it?

What are they going to do with it otherwise? They certainly won’t want to – and should not – send it all to landfill. Sustainability is a hot topic today and something customers will care about too. Many organisations now have environmental policies and zero-carbon goals. Everyone needs to start taking positive action because – as well as being extremely urgent and extremely popular – the requirement to do that is becoming enshrined in law.

Large organisations are already required to report on their emissions and energy usage, and all businesses will be expected to contribute to the achievement of the UK’s net-zero goal

The Climate Change Act 2008 sets a legally-binding target for the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. It also creates five-yearly 'carbon budgets' as a pathway to meet the long-term target. These are likely to become even more ambitious and stringent, so companies need to start thinking more carefully about IT equipment disposal. Large organisations are already required to report on their emissions and energy usage, and all businesses will be expected to contribute to the achievement of the UK’s net-zero goal.

Recycling has a huge role to play in the overall sustainability drive and while we have all been putting paper, cardboard, plastic, and glass into our local councils’ green bins and boxes for some time, old computer equipment and smartphones tend to get shoved into a cupboard and forgotten about. By working with TD SYNNEX, that’s something you can change.

How can TD SYNNEX help?

TD SYNNEX Renew is a programme that enables resellers and retailers to offer end-user customers (business or consumer) a way to trade-in old or end-of life products for refurbishment or recycling, with all components and materials disposed of properly and in line with recognised environmental standards.

Doing this also gives the customer some money back from their old IT equipment and devices, which they may be able to use on new systems and solutions.

With TD SYNNEX Renew everyone benefits – from an environmental and a financial perspective

On both counts, it’s an appealing proposition and one that is growing in popularity. In an average month, TD SYNNEX already takes more than 90,000 items for trade-in or refurbishment Europe-wide – and that number is growing all the time, as Sophia Haywood-Atkinson, Head of TD SYNNEX Renew at TD SYNNEX, explained.

‘We want everyone to be aware of what we are doing with TD SYNNEX Renew. This last quarter has been the biggest ever for us. The message is getting out there more and more and it’s a really positive one for both the partner and for the customer. With TD SYNNEX Renew everyone benefits – from an environmental and a financial perspective.’

While there is certainly a cost benefit for the end-user customer, and reseller and retailer partners can also make margin from the trade-in deal, the message TD SYNNEX really wants to get across is that this is the right thing to do.

‘Sustainability is a red-hot topic, and every organisation wants to do whatever it can to avoid waste. Also, the money that does go back into the customer potentially makes it more affordable for them to invest in new equipment, so TD SYNNEX Renew dovetails nicely into the recycle and reuse message and the whole lifecycle services proposition – that’s something we know a lot of our partners are keen to promote, as is TD SYNNEX.’

Whether devices are recycled or refurbished, there is an absolute assurance that all data will be securely wiped

What happens to the recycled kit?

This is where it gets really interesting. Traded-in equipment can be recycled by TD SYNNEX’s partners, who provide assured and safe recycling of mobile devices, batteries, and accessories, in accordance with the ISO 14001 standard. This means that they are fully compliant with European Environmental legislation, including the WEEE Regulations, and do not result in any pollution of the environment.

In addition, where it’s appropriate and there is a clear demand, equipment can be refurbished and made available to schemes that support schools, hospitals, emerging economies, or other places where there is an urgent need for access to new technology. If they wish to, customers can specify where they want the equipment to end up.

Whether devices are recycled or refurbished, there is an absolute assurance that all data will be securely wiped. Corporate Mobile Recycling (TD SYNNEX’s main partner) even has a ‘data erasure bus’, which it can take to customer sites to wipe laptops and desktops clean on the spot.

The advanced capabilities of TD SYNNEX’s recycling and refurbishment partners include bioleaching (the extraction of metals through the use of living organisms) of valuable components and proper disposal of any potentially hazardous materials. This means customers can be certain that their old IT equipment is not going to landfill or causing any pollution once its useful life has come to an end.

‘What happens to devices is completely down to the end user customer’, as Sophia Haywood-Atkinson explained. ‘Some want laptops to go to schools and we will data wipe them and provide details of exactly when, where and who performed the erasure, and make sure those systems go to the right place.’

The TD SYNNEX Renew concept is simple – and easy to use

While it’s possible to refurbish laptops and make them available to a specific sector or send them where they are needed, this is not usually the case with servers and storage devices, and these are typically recycled and disposed of by TD SYNNEX’s specialist partners.

How does it work?

The TD SYNNEX Renew concept is simple – and easy to use. First of all, you need to sign-up for TD SYNNEX Renew on TD SYNNEX’s InTouch website – you can do this here.

If you do not already have an InTouch login you should click here and follow the step-by-step instructions.

Once signed up for TD SYNNEX Renew, you will be able to use the quotation tool to generate a customer quote for any potential trade-in. This will be valid for 30 days. Once the quote is accepted, you can activate it online and collection of the device or devices will be arranged by the recycling/refurbishment partner. They will then be inspected and validated, and a final quote value will then be provided to the reseller. Finally, the partner will need to invoice the recycling partner for the value of the devices. They can then either pass all or some of that on to the end-user customer. Usually, it’s provided as a discount on the purchase of new equipment.

The objective with all of these activities is to achieve zero waste with all IT equipment

It is also possible to ‘white label’ the TD SYNNEX Renew service. TD SYNNEX can provide APIs and will work with partners to integrate their systems. It already works with a number of retailers in this way, allowing those companies to offer their own trade-in and recycling service to end user customers. This has been running successfully for some time, so it is very much a tried and tested process.

Who actually does the recycling and refurbishment?

TD SYNNEX works with accredited and established partners who handle all of the recycling and refurbishment and disposal of equipment, as well as the data erasure. The objective with all of these activities is to achieve zero waste with all IT equipment.

For mobile devices, all the work is handled by a Corporate Mobile Recycling (CMR), which is 100%-owned by TD SYNNEX but is managed and run separately, and has its own client base. The business has been established for more than 20 years and specialises in refurbishment and re-sale of mobile devices.

TD SYNNEX had invested in a 50% stake in CMR when TD SYNNEX Renew was first launched in 2016. Last year, as trade-in business started to ramp up, TD SYNNEX increased its holding to take full ownership.

All three companies have strong security and environmental credentials and quality accreditations

There are also two other partners TD SYNNEX works with who carry out the recycling and safe disposal of servers, storage, and other IT equipment – right down to system board level. All three companies have strong security and environmental credentials and quality accreditations. They will erase data to recognised industry standards and any equipment that is traded-in will be either refurbished or disposed of safely and securely.