Why look at tech for circular economy examples?
Technology is both one of the most resource-intensive industries on the planet and one of the most promising candidates for circular transformation. Electronics contain dozens of valuable materials — gold, copper, cobalt, lithium, rare earth elements — that are expensive to extract, geopolitically sensitive to source, and frequently lost when devices are discarded.
At the same time, the tech sector has characteristics that make circularity achievable: global supply chains capable of reverse logistics, established repair ecosystems, and a growing market for refurbished devices. The examples below illustrate what circularity looks like at different scales and in different contexts.
Example 1: Modular design — Fairphone
Fairphone, a Dutch electronics manufacturer, has built its entire product line around the principle of repairability. Its smartphones are designed so that users — not just technicians — can replace the battery, screen, camera, and other components without specialist tools.
This is circular design applied at the product level. Rather than engineering a device that becomes obsolete when one part fails, Fairphone engineers for longevity. Spare parts are sold directly to consumers. The company also publishes repairability scores and sustainability reports.
The result is a device with a significantly longer usable life than a conventional smartphone. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has cited modular design as one of the clearest examples of circular economy principles applied in the technical cycle.
Fairphone is a small manufacturer, but its model demonstrates what is possible when the principles of circular economy shape the design brief from the outset.
Example 2: Manufacturer take-back schemes
Several major technology manufacturers have introduced take-back or trade-in programmes as a response to growing regulatory and consumer pressure. Apple, Dell, HP, and Lenovo all operate schemes that allow customers to return old devices.
These programmes vary significantly in quality. Some genuinely prioritise refurbishment and resale — keeping devices in use as devices rather than breaking them down for materials. Others primarily serve as a disposal channel, with recycling (rather than reuse) as the primary outcome.
The value of take-back schemes depends entirely on what happens to devices after collection. A scheme that refurbishes 80% of returned devices and recycles 20% is doing very different work from one that recycles all returns. Businesses evaluating manufacturer take-back options should ask for data on refurbishment rates, not just “recycling” rates.
The UK’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations place obligations on producers to fund the collection and treatment of waste electronics. Take-back schemes are one mechanism through which manufacturers meet those obligations.
Example 3: The refurbished device market
The global market for refurbished smartphones and laptops has grown substantially in recent years. Refurbished devices are pre-owned products that have been inspected, cleaned, repaired where necessary, and certified to a performance standard before resale.
For consumers and organisations buying refurbished, the appeal is clear: lower price, equivalent function. For the circular economy, the appeal is equally clear: a refurbished device is a device kept in use rather than one prematurely discarded.
The refurbished market operates across multiple channels — manufacturer-certified programmes, specialist retailers, and social enterprises. Quality standards vary, so buyers should look for graded, tested devices with documented refurbishment processes.
Example 4: Corporate IT refurbishment and donation — the Recycle4Charity model
Recycle4Charity operates a model that demonstrates what circular IT looks like in a London business context.
When an organisation retires its IT equipment — laptops, desktops, monitors, tablets, phones — we collect it, handle secure data destruction, and assess every device. Those that are functional are refurbished and donated free of charge to digitally excluded Londoners, through partnerships with schools, charities, and community organisations across the city.
This is a circular model with a social dimension. The business gets certified data destruction, documented asset disposal, and the ability to report on devices donated and waste diverted. The recipient gets technology they could not otherwise afford. The device gets a second life rather than a premature end.
For businesses with ESG reporting obligations, this kind of circular outcome — devices reused, waste diverted, social impact created — is precisely what sustainability disclosures are meant to reflect. Our impact page shows the numbers behind our work.
Where devices cannot be refurbished, we work with certified WEEE recycling partners. Nothing goes to landfill. This reflects the priority order of the waste hierarchy: reuse first, then recycle, never dispose.
Example 5: Leasing and product-as-a-service models
Some technology companies have moved away from selling devices altogether, instead offering them on a subscription or lease basis. Under this model, the manufacturer retains ownership of the device throughout its life and takes it back at the end of the contract for refurbishment or recycling.
This “product as a service” approach aligns the manufacturer’s incentives with device longevity: if they own the device, they have a financial reason to make it last as long as possible.
Examples include managed device programmes from major manufacturers and specialist leasing companies. The model is growing in the enterprise IT sector, where predictable monthly costs and guaranteed replacement cycles are attractive to finance teams.
What do these examples have in common?
Each of these circular economy examples in tech shares a common logic: treat the device as an asset rather than a consumable. Design it to last. Plan for its recovery. Make reuse the preferred outcome over recycling, and recycling the preferred outcome over disposal.
For most organisations, the most accessible starting point is not product design or take-back scheme management — it is the decision of what to do when devices are retired. Choosing a certified ITAD partner who prioritises refurbishment and donation is the single most impactful circular action available to the average London business.
Read more about the principles that underpin the circular economy or explore our business IT disposal and WEEE recycling services.
Ready to make your next IT refresh a circular one? Get in touch with Recycle4Charity and we’ll handle the rest.