BT and Cisco expand business e-waste takeback service
Up to 99.9% of decommissioned equipment returned will be reused or recycled, BT says
BT has today significantly expanded its global e-waste programme for business customers, announcing it has teamed up with networking giant Cisco to offer a new circular economy service.
The two tech giants said that under the partnership, companies upgrading their network and IT infrastructure to support new multi-cloud deployments will be provided with a takeback service that will see BT environmental specialists map their sustainability requirements.
As part of the service, all replaced or decommissioned electronic equipment from a customer's network will be shipped back to Cisco to be responsibility reused or recycled through its takeback and reuse programme. Up to 99.9% of what is returned will be re-used or recycled, BT said.
BT added that it now has Cisco-certified environmental specialists in the UK, US, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and Singapore to manage the process, while further countries will be added to the new programme by the end of 2022.
"E-waste is a growing concern and according to the World Economic Forum it is now the fastest-growing waste stream in the world," said Hriday Ravindranath, chief product & digital officer at BT's Global unit.
"Our customers and partners have made commitments to report on and improve performance in this critical area. Creating a more sustainable, circular economy, where we prioritise dematerialisation and avoid equipment going to landfill, is vital. It builds on our leadership in sustainability and will help deliver on our BT Group Manifesto commitments and ambition to connect for good."
BT has previously committed to move to circular products, networks, and operations by 2030, and then extend the approach across its supply chain by 2040.
As such, the new programme builds on its existing take-back and reuse services for smartphones, which aim to provide an easy way for customers to securely dispose and recycle devices when they upgrade.
This story first appeared on BusinessGreen