Create less e-waste and save more?



Strangely enough, we often associate sustainability primarily with the first syllable of that term: expensive. Old-fashioned, unnecessary, and especially wasteful. However, by making slightly smarter choices, many businesses and individuals can save significantly. On their own expenses and the e-waste they produce.

The key to success: e-waste

E-waste is the term we use for electronic waste. Our old laptops, smartphones, and other devices are full of materials that are harmful to the environment. A portion of our e-waste is processed in developing countries. Due to the lack of proper guidelines, this causes significant environmental and public health damage there.

Indeed, that doesn’t sound like a success story just yet. The opportunity to change the narrative mainly lies within the Dutch business sector. On one hand, by responsibly disposing of e-waste. But primarily by reducing the amount of e-waste while also saving money. But how?

The need for new hardware disappears

You probably already know that refurbished hardware is often a much more logical choice for many processes than new hardware. For simple tasks, you simply don’t always need the latest equipment. And that applies in more and more cases.

This is because, in recent years, there haven’t been major advances in the performance of business laptops and PCs. The speed of processors is now increasing in much smaller increments than it did a few years ago. As a result, the need for new hardware is actually disappearing for more and more applications.

Double savings with refurbished hardware

This means that as a (business) user, you can save twice by using refurbished hardware. Firstly, of course, on the purchase price, which is much lower than that of new hardware. But also in the impact you have on the environment.

Did you know that with a refurbished laptop, you can save as much as 2 kilograms of e-waste? And that this savings goes up to 4.4 kilograms with a refurbished desktop computer? This, of course, helps significantly reduce the massive pile of e-waste while also reducing the need for new raw materials. At SWOOP, by the way, you can see an indication of the amount of e-waste you save for each product.

Why wait?

Sustainability is something that many entrepreneurs and individuals still postpone. Because it’s expensive, complicated, and you never really see the impact. As you’ve read, those three assumptions are no longer true:

1. Refurbished hardware is more affordable than new hardware
2. The switch to refurbished hardware is easy to make
3. You can clearly see how much e-waste you save per product

Want to know more about the savings your company can achieve? We’d be happy to explain it clearly, so feel free to contact us!