Sustainable Purchasing of Electronic Equipment

Your business makes decisions every day about what to buy and where to buy it. Cost and quality are important factors, but there are other things to consider when making purchasing decisions that will benefit your business and make a positive impact on society and the environment.

Incorporating sustainable business strategies, like sustainable purchasing addresses environmental and social factors, as well as the total costs associated with each purchase. It means looking at what products are made of, where they come from, how they were made and how they will be disposed.

Our sustainability consulting practice offers small business resources and guidelines for the procurement, use, and end of life options for electronic equipment.

Procurement of electronic equipment:

Consider the energy use and cost over the lifetime of the equipment. Specify “Energy Star” equipment.
Choose suppliers committed to business sustainability.
Work with suppliers to reduce and take back packaging materials or find ways to reuse or recycle the materials.
Rent, lease, or buy the equipment second hand.
Select equipment that meets both current needs and future needs.
Choose a product or service designed with specific environmental or social attributes.
Negotiate “trade-in” opportunities when upgrading equipment.
Look for "take -back" and recycling programs from manufacturers.
Buy products locally when possible.

Use of electronic equipment:

Proper use and maintenance of electronic products will extend their useful life.
Network equipment to improve efficiency and decrease the amount of equipment required.
Use remanufactured toner and ink jet cartridges. Make sure that your depleted cartridges are returned for refurbishing and reuse.
Use duplex printers to decrease paper use and utilize technology to move towards a paperless organization.
Upgrade, repair, or replace parts rather than purchase new equipment.

End-of-Life Management

Resell or donate still operating or repairable equipment.
Recycle non-working equipment.
Many components of electronic equipment can be reused or recycled.
Evaluate other disposal options for e-waste.

Sustainable purchasing is important because it can help your business make better choices. Those choices expand eco awareness within your organization, positively impact your local economy, reduce your footprint on the environment, and improve your bottom line.