We live in a world where it’s far too easy to throw away old IT devices. While the desire for the latest and most advanced technology is natural, there are situations where there’s simply no need to invest in new technology.
Tackling the challenge of a disposable society head on, France has introduced legislation to reduce the environmental footprint of digital technology. This mandates that 20% of IT devices bought by organisations need to be refurbished, with a target of 40% by 2040. The legislation is even more stringent in the public sector, targeting an increase of up to 50% by 2025.
The legislation aligns with France’s 2018 roadmap to create a 100% circular economy, which included measures for more efficient consumption. This aimed to increase the life span of digital devices, steering consumers towards more sustainable purchasing habits.
The hidden benefit of refurbished devices
We’re all individual and we all have different requirements. This extends to technology in the workplace, where there’s certainly never a one-size-fits-all approach.
It’s easy to see why a videographer or designer may need the latest and most powerful graphics cards, processing power or large storage solutions, but a lower or older specification could be perfectly suited to those simply using devices to respond to emails, browse the internet or create and edit written documents.
This is where refurbished devices excel, meeting the needs of organisations with one easily overlooked benefit: cost. Along with supporting the drive for circularity and sustainability, refurbished devices are generally cheaper, with the potential to help customers to save on capital expenditure
As such, we’ve seen a popular reception to refurbished devices at Lenovo, with our own Lenovo Certified Refurbished solution being embraced by a number of large clients. Not only can refurbished devices contribute towards their own sustainability ambitions, they can also help organisations to stretch their budgets further, drive efficiencies, and spend in other areas of the business.
How solutions such as Lenovo Certified Refurbished work
Lenovo is committed to circularity, and we’ve been offering refurbished hardware as an option to customers in France since 2023 Through Certified Refurbished, we refurbish our best-in-class PC and Servers, certify them, and extend their lifespan – all while retaining high levels of quality, security, and performance.
It’s a rigorous refurbishment process, with every device securely data sanitised and tested to ensure it meets Lenovo’s high standards of excellence and functionality. Once a device passes, it gets an official Lenovo Certification. This is only offered by Lenovo and accredited partners, guaranteeing that our refurbished devices can be depended on.
Devices sold through Lenovo Certified Refurbished are on average around three or four years old, but the use of original parts where necessary during the refurbishment results in an entirely new lease of life, with all our PCs being Windows-11 ready.
Lenovo Certified Refurbished devices also come with a standard one-year warranty with options to extend to up to three years, providing customers with peace of mind.
We help to reduce packaging waste whenever possible as well, reusing original packaging with Lenovo Certified Refurbished clearly labelled, further working towards supporting France’s circularity targets.
Embracing momentum to drive sustainability
France is leading the way when it comes to refurbished devices, helping to push companies towards more sustainable consumption. At the same time, organisations benefit from more choice, at lower prices, than ever before.
Tech providers such as Lenovo can capitalise on this momentum for circularity by combining sustainability, transparency and customer demand, making refurbished devices a much larger part of their business.
This provides the potential to extend the lifecycles of an increasing number of digital devices by several years. With Certified Refurbished available in other regions, too, it feels like only a matter of time before we see other countries following in France’s footsteps.
