ICT hardware has a significant impact on both social and environmental aspects, from production to usage and the processing of e-waste. Fair ICT Flanders infographics indicate that the most substantial impact occurs during the production phase. Therefore, extending the lifespan of ICT hardware is the primary circular goal we should focus on.
Considering that energy consumption largely affects operational costs, using the life cycle costs (LCC) as a price criterion when purchasing IT equipment is beneficial.
In summary, there are compelling reasons to strive for circular procurement of ICT hardware. By prolonging the usage period and being conscious of production and energy consumption impacts, we can significantly reduce the social and environmental footprint of ICT hardware. The CFIT Framework for Circular and Fair ICT Procurement can provide valuable guidelines and criteria to support organizations in achieving these objectives.
There are recognized labels available for IT hardware, such as TCO Certified, EPEAT (bronze, silver, gold), and Blaue Engel for imaging equipment. TCO Certified and EPEAT have a significant market share, with EPEAT primarily active in the United States. These labels can be included in the tender as technical requirements, with the mention of "or an equivalent certification." This means that suppliers can demonstrate compliance with the label's criteria through a dossier. The use of recognized labels provides benefits as it ensures the purchaser that the required conditions are met.
However, one drawback is that obtaining a label can often be costly and time-consuming, making it challenging for smaller enterprises, such as refurbishers, to obtain a label. This can be addressed by requiring the label unless the focus is specifically on refurbishment. This way, there can be room for alternative evidence of sustainability criteria by smaller enterprises that may not have achieved an official label.
The ICT product group faces numerous ethical challenges. Ensuring transparency regarding compliance with ILO conventions and human rights throughout the entire value chain is crucial but not always straightforward. Fortunately, the public procurement law (Article 7) allows for explicit requirements stating that every subcontractor (at any level) and every person employing staff for contract execution must comply with all relevant social and labor legislation, whether at the international, European, or national level.
The ethical clause of the Flemish government can be utilized to include these requirements in the tender documents. Moreover, organizations like TCO-certified and Electronics Watch can offer advice and support on this matter.
The public procurement law requires selecting the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT - most economically advantageous tender). In this context, the cost can be calculated based on the product's life cycle, known as the Life Cycle Cost (LCC). LCC encompasses not only the acquisition costs but also the operational and disposal costs, as well as the external costs to the environment and society.
For ICT hardware, electricity bills, repair costs, and upgrade possibilities constitute a significant portion of the operational expenses. Therefore, it is certainly worthwhile to use a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) or LCC analysis to select the most advantageous proposal. The EU GPP Green Public Procurement) tool for LCC of computers and monitors, along with its accompanying guide, can assist you and provide support in making well-informed decisions..
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, responsible for providing IT equipment for the entire Dutch government, has set a precedent for future tenders on how to challenge the market on v…
In November 2022, the Norwegian central procurement body launched a call for tenders for a framework agreement for the reuse and recycling of ICT equipment of 191 central government organisations. Th…
Try to imagine that a smartphone brand can guarantee you that àll components are made and assembled by workers who are paid fairly for their work. Go one step further and imagine a smartphone manufac…
Circular procurement is a key driver of sustainability, underscoring the potential of organisations to influence the shift towards a more resource-efficient and resilient future. Johan Rodenhuis, a s…
The Circular and Fair ICT Pact is an international partnership that aims to accelerate sustainable production and use of circular and fair ICT products through the power of procurement. The CFIT fram…
This whitepaper takes the views of Conrad Mohr and Dr Albert Sanchez-Graells as they explore remanufactured products role in the public procurement process. Input on public procurement from Dr Albert…
This TCO report explains how the linear production and consumption of IT products contribute to the climate crisis, the unsustainable depletion of natural resources and enormous amounts of toxic e-wa…
Hazardous substances in IT products are a risk to human health and the environment. Criteria in TCO Certified aim to reduce or eliminate the use of these substances, drive transparency and develop pa…
Software plays an important role in determining the environmental impact of ICT products. It has a measurable impact on computer-hardware energy consumption and increasing requirements can make it ne…
Within the Interreg NSR project ProCirc a webinar was organised about circular ICT.
This report is part of NGI Forward, the strategy and policy arm of the European Commission’s flagship Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative, which seeks to build a more democratic, inclusive, res…
This Fair ICT Flanders infographic provides an overview of the various risks within the ICT supply chain. The route from raw material to final product is long and complex. Many actors are involved in…
If your organization is prepared to work on a fair ICT policy, it is important to consider a few questions in order to arrive at a concrete action plan. Why does your organization want to take on a p…
Between 60 and 85% of the CO2 emissions from ICT devices such as smartphones, laptops, tablets… come from the production phase. Purchasing organizations can drastically limit the impact of this phase…
This infographic from Fair ICT Flanders shows the decision-making process for the purchase of ICT hardware in a few steps. It allows buyers to reflect on their needs and also offers alternatives to n…
Building on the experience from organising market engagement as part of the Make ICT Fair project, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability and Electronics Watch recommend to procurers a dialogue…
This website is the Flemish reference for Fair & Circular IT. FiF is a 3 year long project run by CATAPA vzw, Bond Beter Leefmilieu and Ondernemers voor Ondernemers and financed by the Flemisch Gover…
This report examines the current sustainability landscape of the tech sector. It provides a detailed framework for infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders to analyze sustainability and outlines s…
This is an English translation of short case descriptions that are part of a larger report on Circular Procurement and Strategies among Norwegian Municipalities, developed by Inventura AS on behalf o…
This report presents the findings of work which estimates the value of a range of consumer electronics products following their first sale, alongside the estimated cost of recovering those products a…
The EU LIFE REBus (Resource Efficient Business Models) project1 aims to reduce the use of raw materials or extend the lifetime of products by demonstrating the commercial case for European businesses…
The criteria document aims to support experienced procurers in leveraging public purchases of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hardware to positively impact working conditions across th…
The European Commission has developped a series of sector specific LCC calculation tools which aim to facilitate the use of LCC amongst public procurers. This is the user guide for the LCC tool for G…
The European Commission has developped a series of sector specific LCC calculation tools which aim to facilitate the use of LCC amongst public procurers. This is the LCC tool for GPP of computers and…
The European Commission have developped a series of sector specific LCC calculation tools which aim to facilitate the use of LCC amongst public procurers. This is the users guide for the LCC tool for…
The European Commission have developped a series of sector specific LCC calculation tools which aim to facilitate the use of LCC amongst public procurers. This the LCC tool for GPP of Imaging Equipme…
The EU GPP criteria are developed to facilitate the inclusion of green requirements in public tender documents. While the adopted EU GPP criteria aim to reach a good balance between environmental per…
The EU GPP criteria are developed to facilitate the inclusion of green requirements in public tender documents. While the adopted EU GPP criteria aim to reach a good balance between environmental per…
The project objectives were to map out the extent to which more circular business models are being adopted in the mobile phone and service industry, and identify how this adoption can be accelerated.…
Legal, operational and financial solutions to unlock the potential of the ‘Fairphone-as-a-Service’ model
Information about circular procument and example cases per specific product category.