millions of jobs under a ‘take, make and
dispose’ model that could represent the future.
THE CONCERN OVER WORKING
FROM HOME
2020 represented a cultural shift in the way we
work and interact with tech, with billions of
us forced to stay at home to slow the spread
of COVID-19. Although the pandemic is now
under control in large parts of the world, a
spike in home office equipment sales has
caused many to grow concerned over the
amount of new e-waste we’re producing.
According to the Royal Society of Chemistry,
half of those who moved to telework during
the pandemic bought new IT equipment with
most failing to recycle the equipment they
were replacing. 11% of those who purchased
new technology put their old devices in the
bin, whilst only 13% chose to recycle. With
offices around the world forced into temporary
hibernation due to new work from home
policies, experts predict that around 23% of
all computers won’t be needed again and
that the equivalent to 1,000 laptops per second
will be thrown away in the coming year. It’s an
unintended consequence of the pandemic and
will no doubt change the way we think about
our devices. As mountains of e-waste enters
our landfills, companies need to adapt in order
to reduce their personal impact and make it
easier for consumers to dispose of unwanted
technology products safely and sustainably.
Forward-thinking companies can indeed benefit
from the telecommuting boom, transitioning
to greener IT practices and moving things over
to the cloud. Cutting down on the number of