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IT leaders everywhere are committing themselves to sustainable business practices. Switching to green datacentres, responsibly disposing of end-of-life hardware, inspiring workforces to conserve energy…  these are just some of the ways that businesses are moving towards a greener future. It’s an encouraging trend within the industry, and environmentally conscious techies should be commended for it. 

But how many of us are thinking about the journey our infrastructures take before they get to us? And do you have a complete grasp on the environmental costs of IT manufacturing? You might be surprised by the hidden costs lurking in your hardware.

Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade

Almost all businesses own a fleet of devices (endpoints). Today, staff are typically given desktops, laptops, or corporate mobile phones as standard. For the average organisation, this amounts to a large volume of devices, and these devices need upkeep. What does that mean in practice? Typically, IT departments refresh or upgrade their hardware every three to five years to keep up with security controls and software demands. The latest iteration of this is the move to Windows 11.

The Windows 11 upgrade dilemma 

Previous versions of Windows have allowed users to install the software on devices unsupported by Microsoft. With the latest Windows release, users are being pushed towards upgrading their hardware to stay in line with Microsoft’s security requirements. Users who try to use Windows 11 on incompatible hardware may be met with compatibility and security issues. 

One of the minimum requirements for running Windows 11 is Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, which Microsoft requires to provide enhanced protection against cyberthreats and side-channel vulnerabilities such as Spectre and Meltdown. This means that most Intel chipsets prior to the 8th generation (circa 2017) will not be supported - including many of Microsoft’s Surface devices. The ensuing upgrade drive represents a major dilemma for environmentally conscious IT leaders.

The environmental implications

Of course, businesses with a security-driven desire to update to the latest operating systems are likely to face a hefty hardware replacement bill. In our difficult economic climate, this is likely to be the headline for IT leaders. What might be overlooked is a growing mountain of tech waste and the disposal costs to get rid of it.

In 2019, the UK reportedly generated over 1.5 million tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste). This figure is expected to rise to over 2 million tonnes by 2025. As more and more devices are becoming obsolete and eventually being discarded, they are contributing to this waste. The environmental costs are significant: e-waste contains a variety of hazardous materials including lead, cadmium, and mercury. As well as being environmentally harmful, these materials also have health risks if not disposed of properly. 

From these figures, it’s clear that manufacturing plays a major role in the tech sector’s environmental impact. Take a typical Dell laptop – a Latitude 3590. Dell’s data shows that over a four-year lifespan, 76.5% of a device’s emissions are consumed during its manufacture:

Despite these striking figures, the true environmental costs associated with manufacturing are too often overlooked. Businesses committed to sustainability must take note. 

Don’t replace, repurpose

Is there a way for businesses to mitigate the financial and environmental costs of a desktop replacement program?

If a business’s goal is to save on hardware replacement costs, reduce the environmental impact of endlessly replacing devices and provide secure, easily-managed endpoints, then the route forward is to repurpose – not replace – devices. 

There are several great technological solutions that enable businesses to adopt a hardware repurposing strategy. IGEL, Unicon and Google Chrome FlexOS all have the capability to repurpose devices that cannot run Windows 11, without compromising on security or device management.

With your repurposed hardware now in place, what’s next? Devices will still need something to connect to, and IT leaders should consider a centralised host for all their data and applications (if they aren’t using one already, that is). Alongside a desktop repurposing strategy, using the cloud in this way can provide additional environmental benefits. Technology providers such as Citrix DaaS, Microsoft AVD, or VMware Horizon can provide a light-touch, secure, cost-effective and sustainable End-User Computing environment. 

Interested in finding out how much you could save – both in cash and emissions? Take a look at our simple-to-use sustainability calculator. We’ll plant a tree in the National Forest for every complete calculation with a registered email address. It only takes 30 seconds:

Below is an example of what an organisation of 2,500 employees might save. Note, these figures are a high-level estimate. Workspace IT is happy to provide a more accurate report if additional company information can be provided. 

Joining Techies Go Green. 

If you want to learn more about sustainability and what your company can do to become more sustainable, consider joining Techies Go Green. Techies Go Green is a movement dedicated to decarbonising IT and tech-oriented companies through collaborating and sharing knowledge. Membership is open to both companies and individuals within the UK and Ireland. We would love to have you join and to help you in your journey towards sustainability and decarbonisation.