The sustainability gap in IT lifecycle management

The scale of the challenge

The world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, a figure projected to rise to around 82 million tonnes by 2030, according to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024.

The UK is consistently ranked among the highest e-waste producers per capita worldwide, with recent studies estimating around 23–24kg per person annually. This makes IT disposal not just a corporate responsibility but a national imperative.

Beyond recycling: prioritising reuse, redeployment and resale

Recycling has long dominated the IT disposal conversation. While vital, it is not the most powerful lever available to IT leaders. Extending product life through reuse and redeployment avoids the embedded carbon impact of manufacturing replacements. Similarly, resale into secondary markets not only generates financial return but supports a global circular economy by giving enterprise-grade devices a second life.

Industry research, including UNEP estimates, shows that reusing a single laptop can save around 316kg of CO₂ compared with recycling and replacing it. Multiply that across thousands of endpoints, and the ESG potential is transformative.

CIOs should ensure their IT asset disposition (ITAD) strategies are weighted towards value recovery and redeployment, with recycling as the last resort.

Evidencing ITAD in ESG reporting

Stakeholders – from investors to regulators – increasingly demand hard evidence, not aspirational statements. That places pressure on IT leaders to demonstrate where and how sustainability is embedded into operations.

Globally, Scope 3 often represents over 70% of a business’s carbon footprint. In the UK, CDP analysis shows that only 56% of companies disclose Scope 3 emissions through their reporting, compared with ~74% for Scope 1 and 2. And where they do disclose, progress is slow: Scope 3 emissions are reducing by just 2% per year, compared with 6% for Scopes 1 and 2.

That gap matters. IT lifecycle management is one of the most tangible areas where Scope 3 progress can be evidenced. The right ITAD partner should provide:

• Certificates of erasure or destruction, aligned with NIST 800-88.
• Inventory reports tracing every asset from collection to final disposition.
• Resale and reuse records, evidencing volumes diverted from recycling or landfill.

These data trails provide audit-ready proof for sustainability reports and strengthen the credibility of ESG disclosures.

Supplier standards: what IT leaders should demand

Selecting the right supplier is critical. At a minimum, enterprises should expect providers to hold and maintain:

• ISO 14001 certification, evidencing environmental management best practice.
• Registration with the Environment Agency or equivalent, ensuring compliance with WEEE regulations.
• Independent verification of social value or sustainability claims, for example through third-party audits or quality marks.

With upstream supply-chain emissions running up to 26 times greater than an organisation’s direct Scopes 1 and 2, according to CDP/BCG analysis, CIOs must recognise that their suppliers’ choices have an outsized impact on their own emissions profile. Holding ITAD providers to account is therefore non-negotiable.

Strengthening ESG through partnerships

No enterprise can deliver a circular economy in isolation. Partnerships are becoming a defining feature of forward-looking ITAD strategies. For example:

• Working with circular economy innovators that recover precious metals from redundant electronics, reducing reliance on environmentally destructive mining.
• Supporting wildlife trusts and conservation projects, ensuring IT lifecycle activity delivers measurable biodiversity benefits.
• Signing green skills pledges, helping to build the workforce capabilities required for long-term sustainability.

These collaborations extend the impact of ITAD beyond compliance and into measurable environmental and social outcomes.

Aligning ITAD with enterprise sustainability strategies

For IT and datacentre leaders, the challenge is integration. ITAD cannot remain a siloed function managed by procurement or operations teams. It should be woven into enterprise sustainability roadmaps. That means:

• Building ITAD metrics into ESG dashboards alongside energy and supply-chain data.
• Linking resale value recovery to finance metrics and carbon savings.
• Embedding ITAD requirements into procurement and refresh policies, ensuring sustainability is factored into every technology decision.

Regulation will raise stakes

Regulatory change will accelerate this shift, looking ahead. From 2025, the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has required large companies to disclose detailed Scope 3 data. In the UK, the emerging Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) will similarly tighten expectations around value-chain emissions. And by 2026, digital product passports will begin to track the lifecycle impact of electronics sold into the EU.

IT leaders who embed robust ITAD practices today will be better positioned to meet these regulatory requirements tomorrow.

A call to action

Sustainability ambitions will only be credible if every aspect of the IT lifecycle is addressed. End-of-life equipment is too important – and too visible – to be treated as an afterthought. Enterprises that prioritise reuse, redeployment and resale will not only reduce their environmental footprint but also strengthen the transparency and credibility of their ESG reporting.

The opportunity is clear: ITAD is no longer just about risk management and compliance. It is a strategic lever for sustainability, circularity, and stakeholder trust. For CIOs and IT leaders, the question is no longer whether to embed sustainable disposal practices – but how quickly they can make them business as usual.