TechSoup's Refurbished Computer Initiative and the Environment

Matthew Halden is the Manager of TechSoup's Environmental Product Distribution Programs which include the Community Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher Program, the Refurbished Computer Initiative, and our IKON remanufactured office equipment program. Matthew combines environmental zeal with good business sense in this rare peek into his world with an update on the impact TechSoup's RCI program is having on the world and nonprofit pocketbooks.

Our RCI program (Refurbished Computer Initiative), keeps computers out of landfills, gets much needed hardware resources into the hands of nonprofits and libraries, and saves them money to boot.

In April 2009, RCI had our single-biggest month ever for since the start of the program. "Just how big was it?" you might ask. Well, to help paint the picture, I've compiled some data below to give you a better sense of just how far we've come in the last couple of years, both for April and RCI as a whole.

You might be wondering why you should care. The environmental cost to produce a computer and monitor is immense, especially for microprocessors. Producing the average 53-pound desktop computer and CRT monitor requires 530 pounds of fossil fuels, 50 pounds of chemicals, and 3,330 pounds of water. Adding additional life to computers by refurbishing them saves 5 to 20 times more energy than recycling them over the computer's life cycle. It's much better for the environment to extend the life of a computer for an extra two or three years than to buy a new one every three to four years. Read more in our Environmental Case for Refurbished IT Equipment post from GreenTech's Jim.

The most astonishing environment stats on refurbishment are those from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator.

Extending the life of just one desktop CPU for reuse is equivalent to taking 1/5 of a car off the road for a year. Extending the life of one desktop computer with a CRT monitor is equivalent to taking one half of a car off the road for a year, or saving 68% of one US household's allotment of electricity for a year.

April-over-April

This April, we processed 541 orders and distributed a total of 1,168 refurbished hardware products during the month.

• That's more products than were distributed through the RCI program for the entirety of fiscal year 2007!
• Nonprofit organizations and public libraries served in April 2009 by RCI: 527
• Total recipient savings (conservative estimate): $175,000
• In terms of energy savings, that's enough electricity saved to power 198 US households for a year.
• In terms of solid waste reductions, the materials being reused in all those computers is equal to the solid waste generated by more than five US households for a whole year.
• In terms of greenhouse gas reductions, that's the equivalent of removing 140 passenger cars from the road for an entire year.

Yearly Performance

• This year, TechSoup has distributed 4,228 pieces of refurbished computer equipment, which represents a 580% increase over FY 2007 and 90% more products than were distributed over this same time period in FY 2008.
• This year, almost 10% of the products distributed through RCI have been a result of corporate donations, as compared to zero for last fiscal year.

My sincere thanks and gratitude to our donors, our staff, and most of all our product recipients, who helped contribute to these awesome results and are keeping computers out of landfills!

What this all means, is that as much as we like to pat ourselves on the back for running such a great program, the difference really comes from the organizations and nonprofits who USE the program to save money and decrease the environmental impacts of buying new hardware. Getting like-new products, saving money, and reducing toxins in the world all add up to smart decisions. Learn more about the products available through the RCI program today and think about including some refurbished and remanufactured hardware in your future!