The words ‘compromise’ and ‘sustainability’ have long been natural bedfellows. To achieve products and services that are designed to protect the environment, reduce energy or preserve raw materials, consumers have had to manage their expectations. “If you want to save the planet, there has to be a compromise” has been the common mantra for business. While cost remains the primary barrier for consumers opting to buy more sustainable products, a lack of knowledge is a close second. Without the right information, people find it hard to make good choices, so tend to stick with what they know. Establishing the pros and cons of remanufactured IT equipment is a good case in point.
Fuelled by an increased awareness of environmental issues – such as climate change or ocean plastic waste – consumers are increasingly intolerant of companies that fail to strike the right balance between sustainability, quality and price. You may ask yourself, what is a remanufactured laptop? This new term of second-user computers is important for you to know and understand the facts, as this new sustainable way of purchasing IT becomes mainstream.
According to the ISO8887 quality standard, remanufacturing is the process of ‘returning a used product to at least its original performance with a warranty that is equivalent to or better than that of the newly manufactured product’. This ISO standard is what Circular Computing™ have modelled their carbon-neutral products on, and by doing so have become the worlds only accredited IT remanufacturer.
Here we explore 9 facts surrounding Circular Computing™ laptops;
1. Remanufactured laptops are reliable and safe
Products are remanufactured and upgraded using new parts, and produced according to ISO 9001 standard, incorporating BS8887-210 and 211 processes.
The models chosen are ‘enterprise’ grade from leading brands. Crucially, there is a three-year replacement warranty provided for all products and each contributes heavily to environmental causes.
2. Remanufacturing is very different to refurbishment
The refurbished IT market has gained a reputation for focusing on minimal investment and maximum returns. This has led to variable standards and poorer quality. And buyers have come to expect less choice and more risk.
Circular Computing™ takes products that are between one and four years old, disassembles them, upgrades them and reassembles them into a new cosmetic condition with 97% tested performance against that of new and offers up to a 3 year warranty to stand by the products quality.
3. It is the best second-hand quality on the market
All Circular Computing™ laptops undergo a five-hour certified remanufacturing process under BS 8887, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and modelled on the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) standards.
More than 100 checks are carried out and key components are upgraded, from screens and batteries, to motherboards and keyboards.
After reassembly, final tests are done before laptops reach customers, safe in the knowledge that their equipment has been remanufactured by fully-qualified technicians in a state-of-the-art production facility.
4. There are specification options and a growing model ranges
Circular Computing™ products are network compliant, enterprise grade with built-in security and energy saving features, not normally found in computers on the high street.
Laptop models currently in the range include HP EliteBook, Lenovo ThinkPad and Dell Latitude. Brand new selected parts are included with every laptop as standard and all come with the latest operating system pre-installed and we continue to develop more models.
5. The cosmetic finish is only rivalled by new
Many suppliers of refurbished equipment deem “slight scratches” good enough to make it through quality assurance control.
But that’s not the case for Circular Computing™. We embed innovation, precision and market-leading standards into every step of our remanufacturing process, so the difference between new and Circular Computing™ is undetectable.
6. Remanufactured laptops perform at 97% as good as new
Again, these are not refurbished products. The laptops leaving the factory must adhere to some of the best quality standards in the world as set by the International Standards.
Working with Cranfield University in the UK, an independent research thesis was conducted to compare the performance standards of remanufactured laptops, with brand new equivalents. The results concluded that a Circular Computer™ can provide 97% performance in the general workplace environment, against a newly produced one.
7. There are many environmental benefits
Every year, more than 160 million new laptops are made. And the IT industry is responsible for as much greenhouse gas pollution as the entire airline industry, contributing 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions. It is also responsible for around 17% of the world’s electronic waste.
For every laptop Circular Computing™ places on the market, e-waste is prevented and 190,000 litres of water are saved – enough drinking water for over 700 years for the average American. Meanwhile, for every 1,000 laptops, 980 tonnes of CO2 emissions are either prevented or removed from the atmosphere.
Clearly, producing less new laptops will have a huge net positive impact on the planet.
8. They are not actually that cheap
Remanufactured laptops are incredibly good value for money. A quicker total cost of ownership return, compared to buying new, means you can afford to extend your budget by up to 40% or put the savings towards other projects.
Circular Computing™ also offers a guaranteed buy-back price after three years, enabling products to re-join the circular process.
9. Older equipment uses more energy
Nope. It’s no longer the case that the latest technology always offers improvement in energy saving. In fact, Circular Computing™ products are Energy Star-approved and in some cases, offer better power saving performance than some of today’s latest computers.
