Australian businesses are sitting on an untapped goldmine of old tech: Lenovo finds
Only half of senior IT business leaders say they are very aware of the potential economic value that resides in their organisations’ electronic waste, according to a new report from Lenovo.
The research shows that despite 75 per cent of IT business leaders saying their organisation measures and tracks the amount of e-waste they create annually, there is a gap in understanding how to maximise the value in e-waste – for example by selling it to a business to recycle and salvage reusable components and metals.
Meanwhile, according to the Global E-waste Monitor, high-value recoverable materials, such as gold, conservatively valued at US $57 billion, are currently being lost to landfill and incinerators.
To bring awareness to the potential value of e-waste and the power of the circular economy, Lenovo today is introducing a collaboration with Holly Ryan, Australian sustainable jeweller and founder of her eponymous label Holly Ryan. Through this initiative, Holly Ryan has created an exclusive range of rings made from metals from recycled e-waste.
‘Lenovo Precious Metals’ is a set of four unique, one-off designer rings created by Holly and made from metals retrieved from e-waste – gold, silver and platinum – breathing new life into old technology.
‘Transitioning to a circular economy has never been more critical for our planet. We must continue finding ways to decouple growth from consumption. At Lenovo, we are committed to lessening our impact on our planet and to reduce, reuse, and recycle wherever possible. One area we’re focused on is e-waste management,’ said Matt Codrington, Managing Director, Lenovo ANZ.
‘Lenovo Precious Metals’ range of rings
As well as economic value, the ‘Rethinking E-waste in a Circular Economy’ report also found e-waste is a missed opportunity organisations could be capitalising on from a people perspective – almost nine in ten (88%) employees say awareness of their employer’s actions to dispose of end-of-life technology in a sustainable way would make them feel more positive towards their employer.
“I’m deeply passionate about sustainability and have built my business sourcing recycled metals and stones for my designs, which is why I was so excited to find a partner in Lenovo to create these one-off pieces with. The “Precious Metals” range – symbolic of the power of the circular economy – takes ethical jewellery making to the next level,” said Holly Ryan.
“I encourage all companies to be cognisant of what assets they may have within their business that can be recycled or upcycled and to put circular processes in place.
“By 2025, Lenovo will have enabled the recycling and reuse of 362 million kilograms of end-of-life products and 76% of PC parts returned to our service centre will be repaired for future use,” continued Matt Codrington. “One way in which we do this is through our Asset Recovery Services, which help businesses get the most out of their end-of-life hardware.
“Since the beginning of this fiscal year, we have already seen a 43% YoY increase in the number of customers using Lenovo’s Asset Recovery Services. It is fantastic to witness so many of our customers rethinking the lifecycle of technology products, ensuring that every recoverable material from every single device can be reused at end of life,’ concluded Mr Codrington.
Lenovo intends to award the set of four rings to staff who volunteer in the community as a token of recognition and to raise money by auctioning off the rings to support other philanthropic initiatives.
