Reconditioned equipment: What advantages for companies?

The best kind of waste is the kind that isn’t created. If company recycling is a possible eco-friendly solution, it goes hand in hand with choosing reconditioned equipment. Faced with the climate and environmental emergency, a collective awareness is emerging. In the context of the European Green Pact, companies have a major role to play in contributing to the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. They can take action through the way they use their resources, moving towards a cleaner, more circular economy. In this context, the procurement function has a key role to play in the recovery of waste by opting for recycling and reconditioned equipment. 

What is reuse and how does it relate to company recycling? 

Reuse is defined by Eurostats as “any operation by which products or components that are not waste are used again for the same purpose for which they were conceived”. The repackaged product does not undergo any material transformation. 

However, reconditioned equipment should not be confused with second-hand products. Second-hand products are not professionally checked or tested and generally do not have a warranty. These are mostly items sold by individuals. Reconditioned equipment is a product that has been given a second life by a manufacturer. It is tested, repaired, and repackaged by professionals. It can also include a warranty of variable duration or free delivery, depending on the seller. Other terms and conditions may apply. 

Recycling is the use of the raw material of a waste product to make a new object. The recycled product therefore undergoes a transformation. 

Although the two concepts are not intrinsically linked, they do share a common objective: The reduction of waste and the preservation of the environment. 

Boosted by environmental and social incentives, the second-hand market is booming around the world. These new modes of consumption, which promote circularity rather than linearity, are even making their way into the procurement function. This is because buying second-hand reconciles economic and environmental concerns, which are crucial for companies. Indeed, it makes it possible to acquire a product at a lower cost, while extending its lifespan. This encourages lower carbon consumption and thus reduces the environmental impact of company procurement. 

It is important to note that at the end of its life, the purchased reconditioned equipment can be recycled. By combining reuse and recycling, companies vastly increase their positive impact on the environment. 

Why should companies recycle? 

The waste produced by businesses and industries is vast and of all types:  

• Paper;  
• Plastic; 
• Glass; 
• Cardboard; 
• Metal; 
• Electronic equipment; 
• Electrical equipment; 
• Cartridges; 
• Solvents; 
• Oils; 
• Glues…  

If not properly treated, all waste ends up polluting. To reduce the amount of waste, proper waste management must be adopted in the company.  

But this is not the only reason. Companies must also comply with legal obligations. For example, hazardous and toxic waste is particularly harmful to humans and the environment. Their recycling is strictly monitored. 

The recycling of waste can be carried out very easily by implementing selective sorting in offices and warehouses. This involves educating employees about this approach and training them in the use of sorting bins as poorly sorted products make it difficult for waste collection and treatment facilities to do their job. Fortunately, a lot of people already sort waste at home so they are familiar with the concept. 

What are the 3 types of recycling? 

Once collected, the waste is processed according to three types of recycling: 

1. Chemical: A chemical reaction is required to separate components; 
2. Mechanical: A machine is used to process the waste (e.g., shredding);
3. Organic: Through fermentation. 

Waste can go through several of these processes. 

Because of this transformation process, recycled materials require the production of energy. Choosing reconditioned equipment is therefore a solution that consumes less energy. Nevertheless, recycling remains the perfect solution for all products that are no longer usable. It is therefore the combination of the two solutions that brings the most benefits. 

SMEs and recycling: consume better, recycle better 

Being an environmentally friendly company means making sustainable and responsible choices. This involves making consumption choices and properly managing the sorting of waste. 

Consume better as a company 

Responsible consumption is a real lever for companies, both economically and strategically. It involves: 

• Buying responsible, reconditioned, eco-friendly, local products; 
• Taking care of equipment to make it last longer; 
• Working with suppliers who have the same environmental approach. 

Recycle better in offices 

In order to implement an effective recycling policy, it is important that employees understand the rules and the issues. The first step is to inform employees about the company’s intentions with regard to recycling and about best practices for sorting waste in the company. 

Where waste sorting bins are placed in an office plays an important role in their proper use. Establishing a contact point or a dedicated area makes waste sorting become a habit for employees. It is also best to place the bins where there is a greater flow of people.  

Finally, the information on the products that go in each of the sorting bins (paper, plastic, cardboard, etc.) must be visible and easy to understand for everyone so that coffee cups, water bottles and cans are thrown away in the right bins. 

Some products that you no longer need, such as computer equipment, can be reconditioned. This way you can take part in the circular economy and avoid wasting resources. 

What about the recovery of digital products? 

The market for reconditioned products consists mainly of computer and telephone equipment of all brands: computers, smartphones, tablets, various accessories, etc. These products are also the main source of the impact of the digital world1. 

This sector is particularly well structured, with the appearance of numerous players in recent years. These professionals offer to: 

• Sort, audit, test, repair and fully clean the devices; 
• Repackage them in individual packages with compatible accessories;  
• Provide after-sales service;  

• Calculate the positive impact in order to promote the approach.  

This gives any company access to efficient reconditioned products with traceability and high quality service. For end users, the experience is identical to that which they would have had with a new product. 

For the procurement function, it also guarantees improved economic efficiency. Because reconditioned products are sold at a lower price than new ones, buyers can expect to save up to 70% per device, according to market experts. 

Last but not least, the procurement function will be able to respond to the environmental imperative with this reconditioned equipment. It is important to note that the average life span of an electronic device is only a few years. This is too little given the environmental impact of its manufacture, especially when it comes to laptops, tablets and smartphones which are among the most polluting devices.  

A study conducted for the United Nations by two academics, Eric Williams and Ruediger Kuehr, is the leading authority on the subject. They estimate that manufacturing a desktop computer requires 240 kg of fossil fuels (10 times the weight of the computer itself), 22 kg of chemicals, and 1.5 tonnes of water. In addition, these devices contain significant amounts of heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium) which pose risks to workers’ health and the environment.  

In light of this, the authors emphasise the value of reuse: “Because so much of the energy used over the life cycle of a computer is in manufacturing high-tech components, which are usually destroyed in recycling processes to recover raw materials, the energy savings potential of reselling or upgrading is some 5-20 times greater than recycling.”2 

Reconditioned products are therefore a particularly interesting option for procurement departments seeking to adopt a sustainable purchasing approach and optimise their spending, without compromising on quality. Offering several lives to objects, reducing waste, promoting the circular economy: these are the new levers of action for a responsible company.