Circular Computing and BSI join forces to bring 'good as new' refurbished laptops to market

This month, Circular Computing partnered with UK Stanadards body BSI to help bring recycled computers to the mainstream. 

Using a Circular Remanufacturing Process, Circular Computing™ delivers HP, Dell, and Lenovo laptops that look and perform like new, ensuring carbon-neutral processes and end-product.

The company has received the world’s first and only BSI Kitemark™ for remanufactured laptops, certifying that it produces products ‘equal to or better than new’ as required by BS standard 8887. 

 BSI is a standards company with over 77,500 clients across 195 countries. The Kitemark™ certification confirms that experts have independently and repeatedly tested a product or service’s claim.

Circular Computing has enabled customers like WWF and the Royal Mint to save £9 to 15 million while realising significant environmental benefits. These include 73,000,000 kg of resource preservation, saving 11,500,000,000 litres of water and reducing 19,280,000 kilograms of carbon. 

Five trees are planted through WeForest for every laptop sold, further contributing to carbon sequestration.

The remanufacturing process prolongs the life cycle of hardware, decreasing the amount of technology wasted yearly. The Circular

Remanufacturing Process involves an intensive 360-point quality check by fully qualified technicians within a purpose-built state-of-the-art production facility, with the Kitemark guaranteeing consistent quality in both performance and appearance.

BSI is also partnering with Circular Computing to reduce its own carbon footprint by utilising remanufactured laptops. 

Steve Haskew, Head of Sustainability and Social Leadership at Circular Computing shared: 

“We’re passionate about placing remanufacturing at the centre of the IT industry for years to come. The mountain of e-waste created is the result of people not respecting that technology at the end of its first lifecycle isn’t waste but instead a next-generation resource.

“Throughout our journey, the BSI has been fully supportive and engaged with remanufacturing, including the awarding of the Kitemark. We’re excited to be working with them closer as part of this deal.”

Reusing, refurbishing, and repairing devices helps fight against climate change by preventing raw materials and water depletion while curbing carbon emissions.

A growing trend in tackling e-waste

This week the European Parliament passed right-to-repair legislation requiring batteries to be easily removable and replaceable in all electronics sold within the European Union starting in 2027.

While 2027 is a fair while away, there is a strong presence of refurbished electronics in Europe.

France’s  Back Market is the most established, a dedicated renewed tech marketplace founded in 2014. The company is active in 16 countries, has raised €884 million and is valued at $5.7 billion.

In Austria, Refurbed has developed a resale platform to return more usable tech to market. 

Since launching in 2017, it’s saved 170 tonnes of electronic devices from untimely death, resulting in a cumulative reduction in CO2 impacts by 31,000 tonnes. The company plants a tree in Haiti, Madagascar, Kenya, Indonesia, Mozambique, or Nepal for every device sold.

Refurbed has raised $73.2 million in funding over 4 rounds, most recently raising $54 million Series B in August 2021. 

Hopefully in the future, we’ll see electronics designed with modular, replaceable parts built from materials that can be repurposed or recycled.

And in the case of IoT-connected devices, I want to see hardware that works in some capacity even if the software and apps are defunct. This makes reuse possible even if all digital features are not operational.