E-Scrap Conference Keynote: Refurbished Devices Are a Growing Answer to Tight Tech Budgets
The E-Scrap Conference opened in New Orleans this week with a keynote from Stefan Larsen, global lead of sustainability solutions and services at Lenovo, who argued that the market for reused and recycled electronics is set for strong growth through the end of the decade.
Citing the UN Global E-waste Monitor, Larsen said the world generates about 62 million metric tons of e-waste a year, a figure expected to reach 82 million by 2030, and only around 22% of it is formally recycled. That gap means a large supply of second-hand devices is headed for the market, and organizations that recover more of it can save money and meet sustainability goals at the same time.
He pointed to rising pressure from customers and regulators. France, for example, now requires public entities to source at least 20% of their technology second-hand. Lenovo is responding by designing laptops with swappable batteries and modular ports, and its asset recovery operation recovered 29,000 metric tons of electronics for reuse or recycling in 2024.
Larsen also said many organizations can run on used or refurbished devices more often than they expect, and that new hardware prices are likely to keep climbing for the next few years. “Customers also have budget pressure. This is a perfect solution that’s fit for that,” he said.
What this means for schools and agencies
With hardware costs rising, repairing devices you already own and recovering value from retired ones is one of the simplest ways to stretch a technology budget. Innovative Repair Solutions supports both through mail-in depot repair, Tri-State pickup and drop-off repair, and nationwide ITAD pallet pickup.
Source: Resource Recycling
