ICT hardware, responsible for 20% of the Dutch e-waste, should be used much longer than many businesses do in practice. The participants in the interactive session hosted by the RePlanIT project showed a strong interest and sense of urgency to do so. But it is possible? Do we need to wait for the big OEMs to act? Or Dutch businesses, especially those who are part of the Dutch Coalition for Sustainable Digitalization, do more than they are doing today?
On Friday, September 29, AMS institute and Delft University of Technology hosted an interactive session on extending the life of ICT hardware as part of the ECP-NCDD* event ‘Environmental Impact of the Digital System’. Menno van Dijk, project manager at AMS institute and Kate McMahon, postdoc researcher at TU Delft, presented the RePlanIT project’s findings on what’s blocking decision makers in business from using ICT hardware longer. Not only to inform them, but also to hear their views on why ICT hardware is used for only 3 to 4 years on average.
Doubling the average life of ICT hardware
The RePlanIT project is aimed at doubling the average life of ICT hardware, by giving the decision makers the information they need – like how much e-waste and carbon emissions they prevent by doing so, but also by giving them alternatives to their usual replacement strategies. For laptops, keeping the same laptops in use is the most circular option, with using refurbished laptops as a good second alternative. For servers, the project is investigating if AI can help to optimize the capacity of an existing server park so that replacement of older, inefficient servers isn’t needed – just shut them down or put them in eco-mode could perhaps give the same energy saving.
Valuable additional insights
Will the advice and insight of RePlanIT lead to a change in how businesses and organizations use their ICT hardware? Only when we are able to address all the concerns and blocks that the decision makers see. The discussions, questions and suggestions within our break-out session gave the RePlanIT team valuable additional insights in these concerns, as well as giving the participants insights in how we could solve these.
*ECP – platform voor de informatiesamenleving; NCDD – Nationale Coalitie Duurzame Digitalisering
