Sustainability has never been more important for organisations in the technology sector, with the chance for huge gains both in curbing energy use and in limiting the flood of e-waste around the world. Research by Gartner found that while organisations are making progress on sustainability initiatives, many cost-effective measures remain unused, with just 22% of leaders purchasing refurbished IT assets, for example. For leaders in the sector, it’s vital to take a holistic view, with a focus on sustainability in everything from the way data centres are cooled to what happens to enterprise IT products at end of life.
Several global statistics highlight the urgency of this mission. Data centres account for up to 1.5% of global energy use, according to the IEA, and at present, 50 million tonnes of e-waste is produced per year, and just 20% of this is recycled, according to UN statistics. To deal with this, organisations need to adopt clear, science-backed goals to make progress not just on net-zero ambitions, but on circularity and other aspects of the sustainability picture.
At Lenovo, we have measured and reported on environmental targets for more than 20 years, across areas including everything from sustainable packaging to energy-saving data centre innovations. Below, I will go into more depth on four key areas of tech where organisations can strive for a more sustainable future.
Cleaner products, cleaner packaging
Business commitment to the circular economy begins at the product design phase. At Lenovo, we have been using post-consumer recycled plastic in products since 2008. We ensure our adoption of post-consumer materials is not just something we showcase in one or two products, but something we use at volume, across entire platforms. We have used more than 140 million kilograms of net recycled plastic thus far, as well as nearly 25 million kilograms of closed-loop recycled plastic from IT waste and end-of-life electronics.
This approach to product design also extends to packaging. Companies must ensure they are not over-packaging products (while also not compromising on their safety), and also maximising the amount of recycled and recyclable materials used in packaging, including innovative materials such as biobased fibre. Each choice has different impacts. At Lenovo for example, when we switched to sugarcane fibres and bamboo packaging to ship memory cards and ThinkPad models, the packaging became lighter, which also reduced our CO2 emissions from transportation.
Power in consumers’ hands
In addition to product design, product lifespan is also critical to driving sustainability. There must be a focus on making products as recyclable and long-lasting as possible, as well as forging new ground in enabling consumers to repair their own products. Lenovo’s latest Thinkpads have been developed specifically to be something that users can repair themselves. With these machines, 84% of repairs can be completed at home without having to send the device to a service centre, thanks to instruction videos, clear labelling and the availability of parts such as batteries. The laptops now have a provisional 9.3/10 for repairability from tech repair experts iFixit.
A circular approach
The world is still at an early phase when it comes to circularity in IT products, and there is an enormous opportunity to capture waste to make new products. Lenovo’s Asset Recovery Service helps businesses ensure they are not contributing to the e-waste problem, helping customers to dispose of end-of-life products and also purchase refurbished enterprise hardware for less.
For companies aiming to achieve ESG goals, Lenovo’s Asset Recovery Service helps to find the optimal method to dispose of IT hardware (regardless of brand). Lenovo’s experts help customers create a lifecycle planning strategy involving as much recycling, reuse and refurbishment as possible. Assets will be disposed of securely with devices checked, refurbished where possible, and with parts reused or recycled if machines are too old or damaged. Using Asset Recovery Services is end-to-end sustainable, and helps to offset the costs of a technology refresh, with the removal of less efficient and outdated hardware often helping to cut energy costs, too.
Buying refurbished hardware is the final piece of the puzzle when it comes to minimising e-waste. Lenovo’s Certified Refurbished programme is an example of our design-use-return philosophy, with best-in-class PCs and servers refurbished and certified, so customers can help to cut e-waste while still retaining high levels of performance, quality and security.
Innovating towards net zero
Technological innovation will be a vital part of helping the world drive towards net zero. Innovations such as Lenovo’s Neptune Liquid Cooling Solution are vital to reducing energy use, with a reduction in power consumption of up to 40%. Older air cooling technologies now struggle to keep up with new high-performance applications using AI, which are demanding more system power than ever before.
Water is more efficient at removing heat than air. Lenovo’s decade-long expertise with Neptune Liquid Cooling offers the scope for maximum performance while also improving energy efficiency, and is more than enough for the most demanding AI and HPC workloads. Neptune can do more than simply cool CPUs, with warm water cooling of entire systems for maximum energy efficiency, and the scope to reuse hot water within a facility to heat buildings, for example.
A greener future
With sustainability, it always helps to look at the bigger picture. The challenge is never just to improve one aspect such as energy efficiency, but also to look at how the product is packaged, how it could be repaired, and how it could be recycled. We are working closely with partners, customers and employees to improve all of these things. By taking this holistic view, and focusing on science-backed climate goals, we aim to build technology for a sustainable future.
Mary Jacques
Mary Jacques leads Lenovo‘s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts in her role as Executive Director, Global ESG and Regulatory Compliance. Mary began her career as an engineer at IBM’s Environmental Affairs division, later becoming MIT’s Environmental Risk Manager before joining Lenovo in 2006. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in environmental science and management from Duke University.
