Martin Townsend, Director for BSI Centre of Excellence for Sustainability gives his opinion on recycled materials and their impact on the circular economy for technology.
With global supply chains under significant strain post-pandemic, we need to continue to learn and adapt to ensure that we become increasingly more resilient both to market disruptions, and changing needs from the consumer. In this we need to move from a linear model of take, make, use and dispose, to one of circularity in which materials are maintained in a closed-loop.
In this BSI, wants to play a central role to support clients to improve, as well as being a trusted agent of change, not just an agent of compliance. This is so organizations establish trust between stakeholders in a more ecosystem-driven world. The Kitemark™ for remanufactured and reconditioned product was created specifically with this in mind to support the transition and provide the industry with the assurance it needs to demonstrate the quality of its remanufacturing or reconditioning processes. The Kitemark plays an especially important role for consumers to overcome fears of uncertainty over product quality and reliability.
Why must we use recycled materials?
If we look at the megatrends driving change in our society, there are probably only a few that touch all companies regardless of size or complexity. The one that has a significant impact on manufacturing businesses is resource scarcity. Ensuring we increase the volume of recycled materials or reused tech components to develop circularity is an important response to this issue. It can potentially impact how businesses utilize resources and manufacture their products, as well as create new business models and opportunities.
Understanding scarcity and how it could affect an organization is essential in modern business where margins are small and innovation and change requires planned investment. This was shown in the heat of the global pandemic when materials or products were lost from supply chains and companies struggled to survive the rapid shock to the market.
However, it’s not just about the resources. We also need to learn about change and how companies can prepare for disruption. Leaders must recognize when disruption is happening, or when megatrends need to be responded to and ensure that strategies are in place for multiple future possibilities. Change is rarely linear, so companies will need to increase their resilience through more efficient production of existing products and services, as well as by anticipating new offerings.
Seeing the bigger picture and adjusting businesses accordingly is essential. Developing resilience in product design and creating new models by applying the principles of circularity does this in two ways – reducing reliance on scarce resources and insecure supply chains and responding to greater awareness of sustainability both from an environmental as well as a social perspective.
How are tech manufacturers adapting?
Tech companies are adapting in different ways, but an underlying trend is to move from a linear economy to one founded on designing products to be repaired or remanufactured, ensuring a closed loop to keep materials within the manufacturer’s ecosystem. For example, computer manufacturers are adopting a circular process whereby every laptop goes through a 360 step, five+ hour journey that returns a used product to at least its original performance, with a warranty that is equivalent to new.
What is BSI doing to support the circular economy for the tech industry?
BSI is looking to play its role in this space by working with organizations across the world that want to drive down the cost of technology so that it becomes accessible to all and reduce the impact and resources required for production. Despite a plethora of sustainability reasons to purchase a remanufactured computer, the challenge comes in removing the perception of risk and offering an assurance of consistent quality and reliability.
To help the consumer navigate this space, BSI developed the Kitemark for remanufactured and reconditioned products to assure the quality of refurbishment processes.
With the recent UN Environment Assembly agreeing to a resolution to work on a plastic pollution treaty and develop a circular economy for plastic, and consumers around the world increasingly concerned about sustainability, the direction of travel is increasingly clear. Consumers and businesses alike want more sustainable goods – the Kitemark™ for remanufactured and reconditioned products is helping to make this a reality in the computing economy.
About the Author
In his career to date, Martin has worked as an environmental regulator, advised Ministers, worked with City Mayors and organizations across the world of all sizes and sectors to ensure sustainability comes alive and is an enabler of business success. Martin has also been a keynote speaker at many international conferences, to ensure as a global community; we accelerate the rate of change while reducing the impact we have.
Martin joined BSI as Global Head for Sustainability and Circular Economy in November 2019, and is now the Director for BSI Centre of Excellence for Sustainability and also sits on several advisory boards for public and private sector organizations to support them in their success.
