Our story
RecycleIT are fully committed to the global circular economy for the IT industry, working strategically through the UK. Our ethos as a business is to Reuse & Refurbish where possible: 85% of all devices last year were refurbished; the remaining 15% were recycled with 0% going to landfill. Our sustainability project has seen us now pledge to plant 1 tree for every one tonne of e-waste we collect through our clients. The project also involved partnerships with a number of organisations to plant trees and make donations to the community.
RecycleIT has teamed up with a number organisations in Lancashire to plant trees for every tonne of e-waste we collect. We also work with community schemes to offer laptop and desktop computer donations to Burnley Football Club, Accrington Stanley Football Club, Healthier Heroes and Pendleside Hospice, which allows under-privileged children and adults to access IT.
We have also teamed up with Lancashire-based Crow Wood Leisure. The partnership involves us contributing towards the woodland, planting thousands of trees over the next 10 years. We've partnered and contribute to the Ribble Rivers Trust, working with over 7,000 children to deliver education programmes and create 180 hectares of new woodland.
Our sustainability project has seen many other companies reach out and offer donations for us to refurbish and ensure the units are given away in the form of a charitable donation.
Our advice
We looked what was being done in the the local area to explore whether we could create partnerships with companies that fitted our ethos. We were looking for partners with a good fit with activities connected to the circular economy including tree planting, working with the community, whilst still offering a premium product.
Along the way we picked up several different partners one-by-one, by networking and finding out how we can both work together in a way that was mutually beneficial. This saw us as a company look at sponsoring the Burnley Football Club 'Community Champion Award', support Accrington Stanley youth players to access home workouts at the heart of the pandemic, and look at how we could help the most needed in our community, eventually becoming a gold partner to Pendleside Hospice.
We also looked at partners that had land in the area to plant trees, and what such companies were doing both internally and externally to sustain the land / trees / rivers and contribute towards a sustainable product.
Our most challenging aspect of the sustainability project was looking at how we could make it more affordable for our company, whilst ensuring we delivered on what we set out to do and sustain our promise.
Looking back, on reflection, we as a company could have done more research around trees: what they cost, how many different tree species there are, when is tree planting season, what trees do what for the environment etc. We would also suggest looking into the investment needed to make any and every new project sustainable.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the number of devices saved from landfill (over 20,000 in 2021); tonnes of e-waste we collect through our clients that will be reused and redeployed rather than going to landfill (around 200,000 kg); the trees we plant that capture carbon; and by our contribution to the circular economy for the IT industry in the UK.
