Framework for remanufactured laptops with Cork City Council
‘It shouldn’t cost the earth’, the quote from the Circular Computing company in the UK that are remanufacturing old laptops to limit new extraction of virgin minerals. Everyday 160,000 old laptops are disposed of in Europe. However, 70% of that could be re-manufactured, repurposed or recycled.
As a local authority, Cork City council has a responsibility to lead on sustainability, working towards a more sufficient lifestyle. What if Cork City Council could contribute to the reduction in waste electrical products? Better still, what if a national campaign was established to preserve minerals from more electrical products?
Cork City Council as part of a national framework have bought ten re-manufactured laptops. The framework, developed by Ireland’s Office of Government Procurement (OGP) in 2023, enables any public service body to procure the laptops without the need for their own tender competition. An Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Green IT along with the UK company Circular Computing have been awarded the contract in 2024. The contract is valued at up to €30 million and is available for the next four years.
Re-manufacture is different from re-purposing. While re-purposing adapts materials to be used for other activities, re-manufacturing uses the same materials for the same use but ensures they are in perfect working order before resale repairing constituents where required. Each new laptop manufacture can use up as much as 1200kg of Earth’s resources through the processes of mining, refinement, manufacture and consumption, not to mention the transport involved.
Green Public Procurement criteria was specified in the tender process, for example re-manufactured products had to be BSI Kitemark certified or equivalent. Additionally, companies in competition for the contract had to be certified in ISO9001 and ISO45001. This ensured that the framework agreed was of reputable standard, sustainably managed and contributed to climate targets for government departments.
As mentioned above, Cork City Council have procured ten laptops through the framework and are planning on increasing the scope in 2025. Cork City Council have benefitted from the framework through financial savings. The re-manufactured laptops are 30% cheaper than a newer model.
Circular Computing have carried out multiple Life Cycle Assessment and case studies on the practice. Just one re-manufactured laptop can prevent 316kg of C02 being released in the manufacture process of a new laptop. Or save 190,000 litres of water being used in extraction, refining and production.
Cork City Council is participating in European Project called FEEL which focuses on employing Sufficiency and Low-tech activities to reduce our resource use. Re-manufactured laptops is a good practice demonstrating resource conservation, biodiversity protection and low-tech through the use of old extraction. Sufficiency is demonstrated with the proof that we have extracted enough materials to maintain the functions of the laptop. Partnered with eight other European countries, the project aims to adapt policy to support the sufficiency concept.