Your company has made the news! Unfortunately, congratulations are not in order. Companies that experience significant data breaches or improper recycling practices are often subject to big headlines.
It’s a nightmare no one wants.
A company’s data can be leaked in many ways. Employees can walk off with important information they’ve downloaded on the job; a hacker can penetrate the IT system; a traveling employee’s laptop may be stolen. But there’s another aspect that is often overlooked and that leaves companies vulnerable to data theft — the improper disposal of IT assets.
Careless disposal of IT assets: Beware of ‘e-waste hell’
You may be surprised to know that only 15% of e-waste is actually recycled, despite the fact most of the materials used in making electronics, such as copper, tin, iron, aluminum, fossil fuels, titanium, gold, and silver can be recovered and reused or recycled.
Instead, the vast majority ends up in the developing world, often funneled by unscrupulous “recycling” operations out to make a quick buck at the expense of the environment and local citizens. If your brand shows up in a faraway landfill of toxic waste, you will indeed find yourself in “E-waste Hell,” the title of a Dateline NBC exposé on the illegal disposal of IT assets.
Just picture the scene in Accra, Ghana, where Chris Carroll of National Geographic observed, “small children are burning plastics off copper wiring, breaking copper yokes off television sets, releasing lead, cadmium and other neurotoxins and carcinogens into the air, all for the pursuit of little profit.”
Numbers speak for themselves
Here are some statistics that underscore just how much your company — and the environment — can gain from the proper disposal of IT assets:
- If we recycled one million laptops, we would recover the electricity used by 3,657 homes in the United States in one year.
- One million cellphones contain 35,300 pounds of copper, 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver, and 33 pounds of palladium.
- Reusing a computer can be 20 times more energy efficient than recycling it.
- The global used smartphone market is worth $17 billion.
Fully insured, certified, accountable, auditable
Aside from the potentially devastating environmental impact and ensuing public relations disaster, the accidental release of data — even from a single retired asset — could plunge your company into disarray and result in heavy fines. With more than 550 laws regulating IT asset disposal, it’s not an everyday undertaking. That’s why it’s so important to partner with highly experienced, fully insured, certified, accountable, and auditable company in IT asset disposition.
At Mainstream Global, our reverse logistics programs comprise an array of services that at every turn protects the integrity of your brand and the environment. Our commitment is manifested by our certifications, including the R2-certification of all our processing centers as well as the international standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
With the right partner, your company can tout its green credentials, gain a reputation as environmentally conscientious, and always rest assured your data is safe even after it leaves your facility.
Let us tell you how we can help.
Mainstream Global, Inc., headquartered in Lawrence, Mass., owns and operates ISO 9001, 14001, OHSAS 18001 and R2 certified processing centers in the United States, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. With over 19 years of directly servicing and re-selling assets from top-tier manufacturers, Mainstream Global is the recognized expert. Our partners rely on us for compliance, security, professionalism, and brand protection, all while providing the best returns and prioritizing global environmental standards.
Read more:
Why the explosive growth of IoT calls for a solid asset disposal plan
A quick guide to best practices for data erasure
All Mainstream Global sites are now R2 certified: What it means to you.
