Green, green, green is my IT equipment: Why used is more sustainable

Products that are advertised as ‘green’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ attract many buyers, especially nowadays. Unfortunately, in many cases there is no proof that they are really ‘more sustainable’ and therefore ‘better’. The EU Commission now wants to put an end to vague product claims - because the European Union is to become climate-neutral by 2050. Better information for consumers - e.g. about limited durability or service life (due to a lack of software updates) - is therefore to become mandatory for sellers. In short: less greenwashing, more information for the consumer. We would therefore like to take a look with you into the world of ‘green IT’: Used IT hardware - environmentally friendly or just a ‘greenwashing product’?

Does it make sense to buy used hard drives?

Concerns about data protection can be quickly addressed by a professional refurbishing company. Companies often do not want to put their used hard drives back into circulation because of the fear of a ‘data disaster’. As a professional IT remarketing company, however, we guarantee absolute revision security. Your data is irretrievably and securely erased - the used hard drives can therefore be resold and used without hesitation. Read more about certified data erasure.

What is ‘greenwashing’?

The term ‘greenwashing’ refers to a company's attempt to present one or more products - or even the entire company itself - in a better ecological light. Clever marketing campaigns are used to make a company appear more environmentally conscious and sustainable than it really is.

The ‘greenwashing’ is then intended to entice customers to buy the supposedly sustainable products or to improve the company's image. This includes, for example, advertising with self-evident claims, strongly emphasising a single sustainable item from the range, even though the rest of the product portfolio is anything but sustainable, or participating in climate protection projects to distract from the actual - non-environmentally friendly - business.

These measures are particularly popular in the food sector: Large corporations that rely on single-use plastic packaging claim to be ‘green’ by advertising electricity from renewable energy sources and set themselves targets such as ‘completely plastic-free’ or ‘meat only from farming levels 3 and 4’ by 2030. However, it is questionable what percentage will actually come from wind or solar power or whether the target will actually be driven forward.

Unfortunately, consumers usually have little opportunity to check whether the desired product is really sustainable or whether they are falling into a ‘greenwashing trap’. In the food sector, for example, you should ask how/where the products are produced or grown, what the packaging looks like and, in the case of fruit and vegetables, whether they are in season.

Unfortunately, it is not so easy to gain insight into technical appliances. That's why we want to create some transparency - because the more the buyer is aware of how harmful constantly changing tablets or smartphones is for our environment, for example, the better.

PC manufacturing - what's ‘inside’ our computers?

Speaking of water: up to 20,000 litres can be used to manufacture a computer. To give you a better idea of this enormous amount: Every second inhabitant of our neighbouring community of Kallmünz (Regensburg district) could turn on the tap for a quarter of an hour - in other words, 1,500 15-minute showers are roughly equivalent to the water consumption for the production of a PC.

However, the consumption of resources is not the end of the story in terms of environmental impact: after all, the components also have to be transported to factories for final assembly - and this sometimes requires a ‘short journey around the world’. The long transport routes release even more harmful CO₂, which drives global warming forward in leaps and bounds. Huge amounts of packaging material are needed to ensure that the fully assembled end devices arrive safely at retailers and consumers. This in turn consists of plastics and is therefore difficult to dispose of or recycle.

Used = more sustainable?

Sobering facts. But in our digitalised world, it's hard to avoid computers. More than 90 per cent of German private households now own a computer. And of course they also offer advantages that benefit the environment. For example, the ability to communicate with colleagues worldwide via Skype or Teams means that fewer business trips have to be made.

And yes: those who opt for used hardware really are acting more sustainably. Because the longer the IT devices are in use, the less new ones need to be produced. This means that fewer valuable resources are used and the CO₂ emissions generated during production are also minimised.

In many large companies, however, notebooks, PCs and tablets are only used for a fraction of their actual service life. A complete replacement often takes place after 2-3 years - even though the devices are still state of the art. This is not only the case with consumer devices; hardware in the server sector is also replaced well before the end of its service life - although the digital requirements of most companies are far below the utilisation limit of the products used.

The ‘need to swap’ is mainly due to expiring leasing contracts - and the existing hardware is replaced by the new contract and more up-to-date models. In the past, hardware was simply disposed of, but today there is a much cleverer method of refurbishing it - and this is worthwhile both for the companies that hand over their old IT and for the next buyer.

Because: In most cases, only high-quality business products are used in companies. New, these devices are hardly affordable for end customers - but refurbished high-performance workstations, business PCs and notebooks as well as professional hardware such as server and storage devices become a bargain. The reason: Similar to cars, depreciation is highest in the first few years. It is not uncommon for hardware to be worth only 10-20% of the original purchase price after 2-3 years of use.

Buying second-hand IT makes sense, especially for SMEs. When setting up a company network, only high-quality, high-performance products should be used - this not only minimises downtime, but also prevents hackers from having a ‘breeding ground’ for an attack. As the prices for new products are hardly feasible for smaller companies, refurbished IT is a clever alternative.

However, it is not only the subsequent users who benefit from the refurbishment of used equipment. Companies that dispose of their old IT generate valuable additional revenue by selling it. Companies that provide IT services themselves can offer their customers a broader product portfolio and better service without any effort if they work with a strong partner who takes on the purchase and refurbishing of the devices.

Even in devices with severely broken casings, the components may still be functional and can be used as upgrades for other devices. Valuable metals such as gold, palladium, silver or copper are also hidden in completely discarded PCs, notebooks, tablets and the like, which can be recycled and fed back into the resource cycle.

Second-hand goods from private individuals or from dealers?

Even if we can't give a completely impartial answer: We clearly favour buying from a dealer. Why? Firstly, because the devices can simply be tested better by professional IT refurbishers. We have certain processes that used hardware has to pass before it can be sold again. This means that only flawless products are sold.

But it's not just that private individuals simply don't have the means and usually also the expertise to put the devices through their paces: it's also possible to exclude a warranty. If a defect then occurs, the buyer is unfortunately often left holding the bag.