Industry Voice: Raising the bar on circularity: Computacenter is redefining what responsible IT recycling looks like

In an era where sustainability is no longer optional but imperative, the need for a robust and transparent recycling process has never been more critical. Enter Computacenter.

With over 50 of the world’s 90 naturally-occurring elements embedded in technology devices – and many rapidly depleting – Computacenter’s Circular Services set a new benchmark for IT Asset Disposition (ITAD).

At the heart of this is our rigorous, data-driven testing programme. Our leading UK recycling partners regularly grant us exclusive use of their facilities for a day, to run trials. Computacenter delivers up to 60 tonnes of scrap devices per test; each one filmed, witnessed, and scrutinised. The result? A detailed material mass balance report that outlines every gram of aluminium, copper, ferrous, plastic, and more.

To date, Computacenter has completed 120 of these tests, each against one particular device type – processing over 1,200 tonnes of tech. This isn’t just recycling. It’s traceable, transparent transformation.

This meticulous approach powers our customer reporting dashboards, enabling customers to track carbon savings and landfill avoidance with confidence. Tests substantiate our claim to have helped customers avoid 208,000 tonnes of carbon emissions through reuse and recovery in 2024 alone.

At Computacenter, we don’t just follow the European waste hierarchy via our Circular Services; we lead with it. Reuse is our first principle, with over 65% of devices processed at our Circular Services Centers being reused in their original form. Less than one percent ends up as non-recyclable incineration residue.

Transparency isn’t optional – it’s expected. With the imminent launch of the UK Government’s Sustainability Disclosure Requirements framework and TCFD-aligned climate disclosures becoming mandatory for many organisations, Computacenter provides key insights to help customers track their environmental impact and to support their own reporting. We closely track waste reduction and carbon avoidance through redeployment, remarketing, and raw materials recovery. Our bespoke IT Asset Management System enables reliable tracking and reporting at individual asset level. This system is coupled with new sales data to analyse the percentage of devices sold vs recovered.

And we hold ourselves to the same high standards as we do our recycling partners. Our annual data review panel – comprising senior leaders, external experts and customers – ensures we remain accountable, credible, and ahead of the curve.

This article is sponsored by Computacenter.