Promote the Circular value of IT devices using the first introduction of "E-Waste Compensation" in Japan

Get It Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yuki Hirota) announced that October 14th, 2021, in conjunction with "International E-waste Day", will be "E- Positioned as "waste month", we are conducting a campaign to reduce data erasure costs by 30% in order to support companies' transition from disposal to reuse of IT equipment.

→See below for details on "International E-waste Day" and "E-waste Month".

https://www.get-it.ne.jp/news_210928/

This time, as an additional element to the campaign, the same number (*1) of end-of-life mobile phones and smartphones as IT equipment such as servers purchased in the "E-waste Monthly Campaign" will be sold mainly in Africa. Purchased the right of "E-waste Compensation" to collect from developing countries and appropriately recycle. We will report to the companies participating in the campaign, support the transition from disposal of IT assets to reuse in the BtoB area, and aim to promote the circular economy.

In addition, the introduction of "E-waste Compensation" by the Dutch company "Closing the Loop" (*2) is the first initiative by a Japanese company.

Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Dell Technologies, and more. In 2021, the movement toward circularity of IT equipment will be activated

E-waste is currently the fastest growing waste in the world, according to a study published in 2020. According to (*3), 53.6 million tons of E-waste was generated worldwide in 2019, of which only 17.4% could be confirmed to have been properly treated. The report also forecasts that 57.4 million tons of e-waste will be generated in 2021 and 74.7 million tons in 2030. (The total amount of E-waste is expected to increase by 40% from 2019 to 2030. The 74.7 million tons is equivalent to the weight of approximately 7,400 Eiffel Towers and 2,000 Tokyo Sky Trees.)

"E-waste" is a resource, such as being called an "urban mine," but it is also toxic. have pointed out that environmental pollution and health hazards are being caused mainly in developing countries (*4).

Under such circumstances, more and more companies are declaring that they are aiming for circularity in their IT equipment.

In March 2021, the “Circular Electronics Partnership” (*5) was launched with the participation of major global companies such as Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and Dell Technologies. The partnership has released a roadmap (*6) for achieving circularity in electronic devices by 2030, which includes the design of electronic devices with improved circularity in mind, the active use of recycled resources, and the promotion of used devices. It proposes concrete measures such as improving the collection rate of waste and developing a reverse supply chain to make it possible.

"Closing the Loop" is a company that is part of the partnership with global tech companies such as Google, and has a unique business model based on the collection of end-of-life equipment in developing countries. We are contributing to the promotion of the use of urban mines and recycled resources through our "E-waste Compensation" service.

First time in Japan. Using Closing the Loop's "E-waste Compensation", we provide an opportunity to think about the life cycle of IT equipment.

Closing the Loop is the first E-waste company certified by "TCO Certified Edge" by "TCO Development" (*7), a third-party certification body that evaluates the sustainability of IT equipment. As an approved collector, newly manufactured and distributed equipment will be exported to developing countries in the future and will be treated inappropriately as E-waste. Compensation" service.

Closing the Loop is working in countries with poor recycling technology, mainly in Africa, to end product life at a price higher than the financial rewards from improper treatment such as open burning that can be implemented at a low cost. We will purchase new mobile phones and smartphones. The collected equipment is then transported to a highly technical recycling facility in the EU, where the recyclable material is extracted through proper recycling. In addition, the company aims to "close the circle of complete circulation of resources" by this, which is the origin of the company name "Closing the Loop".

Originally, Closing the Loop's "E-waste Compensation" is intended to replace end-of-life devices with newly manufactured and distributed mobile devices (mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, notebook PCs, etc.). It is a service model that provides equal compensation/compensation by collection and recycling.

This "E-waste Monthly Campaign" aims to create opportunities for participating companies to become aware of the entire life cycle of IT equipment, including rare metals and other limited resources, and to aim for a complete circulation of resources through reuse and recycling. This is an original campaign that utilizes the mechanism of "E-waste Compensation" by Closing the Loop, which has endorsed this project, with the aim of leading to a step.

Regardless of the type or weight of the device, E-waste is compensated by collecting and recycling the same number of mobile phones and smartphones that have reached the end of their product life as the number of purchased devices (* 1), and report the results to the user company.

Aiming for sustainable IT equipment operation with "Sustainable Computing®"

Getit, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in April 2021, was founded in 2001 as a server reuse business. bottom. In the process of buying and selling used equipment, we received requests from client companies for repair of IT equipment using used parts and continuous support after the end of manufacturer maintenance. . In fiscal 2020, we will purchase and reuse approximately 30,000 servers and approximately 90,000 other IT devices, extending the life of IT hardware such as servers, network devices, and PC terminals, and expanding secondary distribution. By doing so, we have developed a business that contributes to the circular economy in the BtoB area.

Our business model all starts with the purchase of IT equipment, but in addition to using parts as maintenance materials, we also sell reused products in a wide range of sales channels, both domestically and internationally.

Since 2020, we have been participating in the ABE Initiative, accepting internships for international students from Africa, as well as hiring people from Africa and distributing used equipment to African countries. At our company, used IT equipment contributes to the economic development of export destination countries and contributes to the resolution of issues such as the digital divide. With regard to the current situation (*8), we have decided to introduce the "E-waste Compensation" this time because we want to contribute to solving these problems.

Through business activities such as reusing IT equipment and extending its life through maintenance, we have shifted from the conventional linear economic model of manufacturing, using, and disposing of IT equipment to a more sustainable circular (circular) economic model. ) In addition to aiming to shift to an economic model, there are also "conflict minerals issues" in the pre-manufacturing stage of IT equipment, and "e-waste issues" due to the inability to properly recycle equipment that can no longer be reused. We will continue to work on this issue.

Note

*1: Points to note regarding “E-waste Compensation” in this campaign

This "E-waste Monthly Campaign" creates opportunities for participating companies to become aware of the entire lifecycle of IT equipment, including rare metals and other limited resources, and aims to achieve a complete circulation of resources through reuse and recycling. This is an original campaign that utilizes the mechanism of "E-waste Compensation" by Closing the Loop, which has endorsed this project, with the aim of connecting it one step further.

Regardless of the type of purchased IT equipment, we will collect and recycle end-of-life equipment equivalent to one mobile phone/smartphone for each purchased equipment. Our main products are servers, routers, and other large IT equipment for enterprises in the BtoB area. However, there are large differences in the weight of IT equipment and the number of included infrastructure.

Therefore, since "E-waste Compensation" in this campaign is a partial compensation based only on the number of vehicles, the word "offset" used for so-called equal or more offset is not used in this campaign. is not used.

*2: Closing the Loop

Closing the Loop, as a social business, provides environmental (green) solutions for waste-neutral IT operations. Founded in 2012, it has won numerous awards. Aiming for a better world, we are working with tech companies and NGOs on research in various fields (circularity, waste reduction, empowerment of informal communities, etc.). Closing the Loop helps users, manufacturers and distributors of high-tech products around the world take the first step towards sustainable consumption through a practical, value-driven service called waste-compensation. We support you to take a step forward.

For more information on Closing the Loop, please see below.

https://www.closingtheloop.eu/

*3: Global E-waste Monitor 2020

Joint report by United Nations University (UNU), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and International Waste Association (ISWA). Various statistical data on E-waste, positioning of E-waste management in SDGs, potential economic effects of E-waste, laws and regulations related to E-waste and cross-border movement, health damage to children and workers, etc. , reports on the current status of E-waste in a multifaceted manner. See p-24 for estimated E-waste generation from 2021 to 2030.

See: https://globalewaste.org/

*4: Environmental pollution and health hazards caused by E-waste

Environmental pollution and health hazards caused by e-waste have been pointed out by many organizations. and child health" reports the health hazards of children caused by E-waste.

See: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240023901

*5: Circular Electronics Partnership

In March 2021, a total of 6 organizations including the World Economic Forum, global companies, and more than 50 experts will participate to establish a partnership to promote the circular economy of electronic devices. Aiming to shift from a linear (straight line) economic model to a circular (circular) economic model, we have released a "roadmap" (see *6) toward 2030. He makes proposals on various aspects of circularity, such as extending the life cycle of equipment, promoting reuse and recycling, and responding to "repair rights."

See: https://cep2030.org/

*6: Circular Electronics Roadmap: An Industry Strategy Towards Circularity

Towards the circularity of electronic devices in 2030, we present 6 paths and 40 specific actions. The topics covered are wide-ranging, including promoting the design of electronic equipment that enhances circularity, improving the collection rate of used equipment, establishing a reverse supply chain that makes this possible, and increasing recycling demand through the active use of recycled resources in manufacturing. Refers to evocation etc. As a premise of the proposal, the impediments to the circularity of electronic devices in the current situation are listed. One of the many points is that, for example, there is no simple and clear option for "data erasure", due to security concerns, It also mentions that organizations are motivated to physically destroy used equipment.

See: https://cep2030.org/files/cep-roadmap.pdf

*7: TCO Development

A third-party certification body for the eco-label "TCO Certified" that focuses on sustainability. We evaluate and certify products throughout their entire life cycle from a comprehensive social and environmental perspective, including conflict minerals, the environment for workers, and E-waste issues. In the past, certification was often obtained for notebook PCs and desktop PCs, but in 2021, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is expanding, such as obtaining certification for some servers.

See: https://tcocertified.com/

*8: Current status of E-waste in Africa

An African exchange student who interned at our company testified from his own experience that used electronic equipment contributes to economic development in African countries and at the same time causes the E-waste problem.

"Exporting IT equipment to Africa is good in terms of economic development, but on the other hand, many countries in the African region do not have the technology to recycle electronic equipment waste, and national regulations are weak. For example, a large number of used cars imported from Japan are good as long as they can be driven, but once they break down, there is no mechanism for dismantling and recycling locally, and there are many Cars are left unattended.If IT equipment is to be exported to Africa and sustainable, it is necessary to comply with E-waste reduction efforts at the destination and strengthen recycling technology. "

For other messages from interns, please see below.

https://wp.me/pcevY5-43e

Reference photo

Get It Co., Ltd.

We solve IT problems faced by companies with abundant inventory in our 2,000m2 warehouse in Tokyo (Kachidoki ZETTA) and our multi-vendor technical capabilities. As a specialist in IT hardware such as servers and network equipment, we provide everything from EOSL maintenance (third-party maintenance) required for legacy system operation, equipment rental for building verification environments, data erasure and purchase associated with information equipment disposal (ITAD). We provide a variety of hardware-related services, including service and cost-reduction reuse sales, in response to orders from each company. In response to the growing interest in "SDGs" for sustainable social development, Get It Co., Ltd. has raised two points: "Use what you can use for a long time" and "Use what you have finished using." We are developing "Sustainable Computing ®"*, a comprehensive service for the sustainable operation of IT hardware, by extending the life of equipment through maintenance and by reusing and recycling equipment.

Company name: Get It Co., Ltd.

URL: https://www.get-it.ne.jp

Location: JS Tsukiji Building 4F, 3-7-10 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Yuki Hirota

Established: April 2001

Business description: IT hardware services: third-party maintenance, EOSL maintenance, sales, purchase, repair, rental, relocation, construction, data deletion, etc.

*Sustainable Computing ® is a concept of "Sustainability of IT hardware" devised by Getit based on the concepts of "Let's use things that can be used for a long time" and "Let's connect things that are no longer used." It is the name of "Comprehensive Service for Possible Operation".

Inquiries regarding this matter

Person in charge: Kawasumi

Email: pr@get-it.ne.jp

Phone number: 03-5166-0900