If you’re reading this then you’re probably interested in finding out how exactly trading in your old device will help the environment and contributing however you can to keep our landfill cleaner. It seems to be everywhere that companies talk about selling your device to them to be greener and more sustainable, but they never say what they are actually doing with it. Hopefully I can enlighten you as to what actually happens to your device when you trade in with us and how we make sure to use as much of the device as possible.

Since you’ve owned the device, the embedded carbon footprint will have likely increased by a negligible amount mainly from the electricity used to charge or power it. The majority of the devices carbon footprint was created before you even bought the device.

This happens throughout the entire manufacturing, assembly and transporting phases. The raw materials for your device will have taken a lot of energy to obtain in the first place. There can be anywhere from 20 – 50 different raw materials that have gone into creating your device. Things like lithium and cobalt for the battery, gold for the connectors, copper for the wires and many other elements.

Then there is the assembly of the device, going through hundreds of different steps in an assembly warehouse to go from parts to the device you have in front of you. This process is not as energy intensive as the main manufacturing section but it certainly isn’t carbon free.

Then there is the final phase in the process of getting the device into your hands, transport. Depending on the method of transport used, this could be the most carbon intensive step with various trucks, vans, boats, planes and trains likely used in the entire process.

Refurbishing is inherently better than just recycling as this takes away the need for a completely new device to even be manufactured. It’s not like Apple will manufacture one less device if one person buys refurbished, but when hundreds of thousands of people buy refurbished, they do notice and they lower manufacturing targets. This reduces the overall carbon output from creating new devices since less will need to be made.

The other big reason refurbishing matters is that recycling is still an energy-hungry process. Even when recycling is done properly, devices have to be transported, dismantled, separated into material types, and processed using industrial methods which are all energy intensive steps. Recycling is truly the last step if a device is beyond use, but it’s rarely the greenest first option. If a device can be cleaned up, tested, repaired where needed, and used again, you’re effectively stretching the lifespan of all those raw materials and manufacturing energy that already went into it.

When you trade in with us, we aim for the reuse option first as this is the best option for both us and the environment. Sometimes that involves minor repairs like a battery replacement or a screen swap – the sort of fixes that can add years of usable life. A small repair can prevent an entirely new device from being manufactured, transported, and sold, which is where the real environmental gain sits.

Not every device that arrives with us will be suitable for refurbishment. That’s normal. Some devices arrive with serious faults: liquid damage, significant board issues, multiple failed components, or physical damage that makes repair uneconomical.

If a device can’t be refurbished as a complete unit, the next best outcome is parts reuse. This is where we recover components that still have life in them and can keep other devices working. These parts can generally be used to save another device in the future that could have been subject to this fate later on.

Examples of parts that are often reusable include:

• Screens
• Housings and casings (especially on Macs where the aluminium body is still in good condition)
• Cameras, speakers, and microphones
• Keyboards, trackpads, and cables
• Charging ports and connectors
• Logic boards

This matters because replacement parts also have their own environmental footprint. If a refurbished device needs a part, and that part can be sourced through reuse rather than manufactured, that’s another layer of carbon savings. It keeps more material in circulation and reduces demand on the supply chain.

And if parts reuse isn’t possible, then recycling becomes the right answer. At that point, the focus is on making sure as much material as possible is recovered responsibly rather than ending up in landfill or being processed in unsafe conditions.

A lot of businesses care a lot about reducing their waste.

If you’re trying to make some small and sensible improvements to your environmental impact, then buying refurbished is a great, easy way to do this, as:

• It reduces electronic waste (e-waste)
• It helps to conserve finite natural resources
• It extends the lifespan of existing device
• Reduces the need to manufacture new devices, leading to a lowered carbon footprint.

Not every business requires the most up-to-date, flashiest machines, for many smaller companies, computers are used for everyday tasks like admin, email, invoicing or spreadsheets. In those cases, paying extra for a brand new device often makes no sense, since it wouldn’t translate into noticeable day-to-day benefit, what matters more to these companies is that the device is stable.

This is why refurbished devices can be a fantastic fit; refurbished devices can offer sufficient performance for routine business usage, making it easier and cheaper to equip staff.

Be aware that if your business does more intensive work, it may be a smarter option to buy new so that you can get the highest specs on the market.

If this article has made you consider refurbished, here are some big green flags:

• Clear grading: you should be told what to expect of the quality of your device, it’s fine for there to be marks on a device but you should be told upfront about it.
• Basic testing: at the bare minimum, you should have confidence that the device has been checked for good health/general stability (no random crashes), a working keyboard and trackpad, working Wi-Fi connectivity and ports.
• Warranty & support: your device should come with a warranty, even if it’s only a short one, as well as a simple return policy. A bonus would be if they offer support for if you run into any problems with your device.

Refurbished computers aren’t just there as a cheap option—for many businesses they are the ideal option, due to their good value while being perfectly capable for generic work.

If you’re not sure what your business would need, the simplest approach is to start with what your budget looks like and what your device needs to be used for.