‘The partnership is about helping our partners grow’: TD SYNNEX on Cordon Group alliance and ESG targets

Janis Kemers talks Renew programme, lifecycle orchestration, and sustainability strategy

TD SYNNEX has knotted a partnership with Cordon Group to broaden its lifecycle portfolio and incorporate trade-in offerings for Windows laptops, gaming consoles, and other IT equipment.

The collaboration will allow the distributor to drive business development with local campaigns and support tech refresh programmes with hardware vendors across Europe.

Janis Kemers, European VP of services and endpoint solutions at TD SYNNEX, tells CRN this move came as a natural next step in its journey to scale and strengthen its existing lifecycle services.

“As demand from our resellers and end-customers rapidly grew, it became clear that we needed a partner with deep technical expertise, operational excellence, and the capacity to help us expand across more product categories and regions.”

Cordon’s capabilities in devices grading, data erasure, refurbishment, in and out of warranty service, and IT asset processing across 13 European countries, also caught the distie’s attention.

As well as lifecycle services, Kemers adds this collaboration “unlocks new revenue streams for resellers,” and enables it to support new customer segments.

“At its core, the partnership is about helping our partners grow, meet their customers’ evolving needs, and contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable IT ecosystem.”

The new deal also intends to boost the organisation’s Renew programme.

The scheme aims to enable trade-in, take-back, and upgrade services across devices, such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and gaming consoles.

It also allows resellers and vendors to accelerate tech refresh cycles and reduce customer capital expenditure (CAPEX).

Thanks to this new alliance, the programme will also include a certified data wipe service, IT asset disposition (ITAD), refurbishment, technical repair, and onsite in-custody services.

“Through TD SYNNEX Renew, partners gain access to a certified, scalable platform operated in partnership with Cordon Group, a leader in electronics lifecycle services,” says Kemers.

“Together, we’re enabling full lifecycle orchestration while championing the circular economy, aligning with ESG goals, and helping partners become trusted IT advisors in an increasingly sustainability-driven market.”

Sustainability strategy and SBTi approved emissions reductions

This isn’t the first partnership made by TD SYNNEX with an IT asset disposition (ITAD) firm, as the distributor has reportedly worked with “a number of them” over the years to build and scale its lifecycle services offering across Europe.

“As market needs and sustainability expectations have evolved, so have our partnerships, enabling us to support an increasingly diverse and demanding customer base,” Kemers tells CRN.

The company has also been doubling down on its sustainability strategy.

TD SYNNEX has had its net zero targets approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), including its commitment to net-zero across the value chain by FY45.

The firm has also committed to incorporate circular economy principles into its product life cycle management strategy by partnering with stakeholders to minimise waste through repair, refurbishment and recycling.

“We will deploy environmental management systems and pursue international standards like ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 to minimise our environmental impact,” explains Kemers.

Its environmental plans also include reducing its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 42 per cent by FY30 from an FY22 base year.

“TD SYNNEX also commits that 90 per cent of our suppliers by spend covering purchased goods and services will have science-based targets by FY2028,” he adds.

“We further commit that 58 per cent of our customers by revenue covering use of sold products, will have science-based targets by FY2028.”