It’s Time for Circularity to Evolve Beyond Traditional Assets

In our fast-evolving industry, it seems like everyone is racing to create the next best version of a data sanitization solution for traditional assets—desktops, notebooks, servers, mobile phones, hard drives. But why? Why are we so focused on improving what's already been done? The market is increasingly flooded with solutions for these assets, and competition has become saturated. It’s time we start asking ourselves: what are we missing?

The answer lies in the untapped potential of other data-bearing assets. Think about it—IoT devices, VR glasses, broadband equipment, drones, gaming consoles, this list goes on at infinitum—these technologies that are rapidly becoming a part of our daily lives, yet there are no real solutions which can safely reintroduce these into the circular economy. And what happens to these devices at the end of their life? Too often, they’re discarded, destroyed or recycled. While recycling is a step in the right direction, it’s far from perfect. Even when done correctly, recycling still exerts a significant environmental toll.

We have a golden opportunity here, not just as business leaders, but as stewards of the environment. By developing solutions that focus on repair, refurbishment, and reuse for these overlooked assets, we can prevent them from becoming e-waste. We can reintroduce them into the circular economy, extending their life and maximizing their value. Most importantly, we can avoid scope 3 emissions, a critical factor in mitigating the environmental impact of our industry.

If we don’t act now, the problem will only grow. The proliferation of technology—driven by AI, blockchain, 5G, connected living, and the explosion of data centers—will lead to an overwhelming amount of data-bearing assets that will either end up in landfills or require energy-intensive recycling processes. We’re already seeing the effects of e-waste today. The question is, how much worse will it get if we don’t expand our focus?

Our industry is at a crossroads. We can continue down the well-trodden path of improving traditional asset lifecycle solutions, or we can break new ground by tackling the challenges that no one else is addressing. The latter not only represents a significant business opportunity but also a moral imperative. Let’s challenge ourselves to do better—not just for our businesses, but for the planet.

It’s time to expand our vision, to innovate where others are content with the status quo. It’s time to create new innovative solutions that encompass all data-bearing assets. Our future depends on it.