One Klyk impact
With my two year anniversary at Emitwise fast approaching, I have been reflecting on my personal growth and learnings over the past years.
Starting in a commercial role, I learnt the power of asking good questions and, more importantly, carefully listening to people. While having enjoyed the experience, I didn’t see myself in sales for the rest of my career.
At the start of 2022, I transitioned into a customer success role to satisfy three desires; guiding our customers on their environmental sustainability journey, being closer to the product we are building and developing expertise in climate action.
The cherry on the top is that I have also been working on our internal sustainability practices. As with many organisations, the bulk of a technology firm’s emissions will lie in its supply chain. That is why sustainably procuring technology equipment is one of the first things we looked at this year.
Computing the impact of technology
It is estimated that the information and communication technology industry uses 3.6% of global electricity production and emits 730 million metric tonnes of CO2e, 1.4% of global emissions. User devices such as desktops and laptops make up 54% of the sector’s emissions.
For laptops, the majority of the emissions are due to the manufacturing of the products and their energy use by end consumers. For example, Dell estimates that 65% of the emissions generated over the lifetime of one of their computers arise in the manufacturing phase.
Manufacturing laptops is carbon-intensive due to the use of fossil fuels, chemicals and minerals. Throughout the use phase, considerable energy losses can arise when machines are left idling.
One environmental impact that is often overlooked is the end-of-life of laptops, especially when reaching that stage is accelerated through planned obsolescence. In the United Kingdom, electronic devices are used for two years on average, with 1 million tonnes of electrical waste being generated every year.
Out of 50 million tonnes of electronic waste generated annually, only 20% is recycled. More often than not, these devices will make their way to landfills in countries such as Ghana, Vietnam and the Philippines. This e-waste leads to a significant amount of soil pollution and water contamination.
Control-X your emissions
With our societies being incredibly reliant on technology, it is unlikely that the demand for computers will decrease in the coming decades. How can we reconcile this with the need to reduce global emissions?
As consumers, there are small actions we can take to reduce the environmental impact associated with our use of computers:
- Shutting down your laptop at the end of the day would reduce unnecessary energy consumption and your energy bills
- Extending the lifetime of your laptops by repairing hardware and addressing software issues rather than opting for replacements
- When it is time to part ways with your machine, you can sell it to IT recycling firms to ensure it is disposed of responsibly
As we saw, the bulk of the emissions generated by laptops arises throughout their manufacturing process. Decarbonising the computer industry is complex, but what if we could reduce the demand for new machines?
Reducing emissions one Klyk at a time
Some laptops are thrown away by consumers when they are still in a perfectly usable condition. Retailers and manufacturers can refurbish these machines through testing, repairing, and cleaning.
Refurbishing a laptop gives it a second life and reduces the need for manufacturing new computers. You can save money and emissions by opting for refurbished technology and that’s precisely what we are doing at Emitwise by partnering with Klyk!
Klyk is on a mission to help companies minimize their emissions and reduce their electronic waste. That is why they make it easy for businesses to recycle and repair technology, as well as to buy refurbished equipment. By purchasing a refurbished MacBook Pro from Klyk, you could reduce your emissions by a factor of 10 while saving money in the process. That sounds like a win-win to me.
Throughout the refurbishment process, Klyk tests the equipment it procures for any hardware or software faults. Once tested and assured that products met refurbished standards, they can be shipped to customers with a one year warranty.
By helping our customers provide refurbished tech to their teams, repair faulty devices and recycle legacy tech, we reduce the CO2 impact from buying new devices and reduce electronic waste (e-waste) going into landfills.
Arif Hussein, Founder & CEO @ Klyk
Beyond helping its customers on their environmental sustainability journey, Klyk is also walking the talk as they recently became a B-Corp. I’m very proud that we have taken this sustainability initiative. It’s a win for our wallet and for our planet. What more could you ask for?
