Techbuyer Ltd - Company of the Year - Computer Hardware
Company: Techbuyer Ltd
Company Description: Sustainable IT solutions
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Computer Hardware - Medium-size
Nomination Title: Techbuyer
Techbuyer is a global provider of sustainable IT solutions. Starting with just two people in 2005, we now have a global team in seven sites across Europe, the US and Asia Pacific. We help thousands of organisations across the world to maximise their IT budgets by refurbishing used IT equipment and providing cost-effective new and refurbished IT. Performance highlights since 2019 include:
-Gaining accreditations (including the R2 certification, which demonstrates that all IT devices are reused or ethically recycled in a secure manner, ISO 45001, and ADISA accredited with Distinction)
-Impressive growth (77% increase in headcount from 2019 to May 2021)
-Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and IEMA Circular Economy in 2020
-Expanding our product range (refurbished laptops and IT Rentals during Covid-19 pandemic)
Growth/customer satisfaction: Since 2019, we have made tremendous growth. We are listed on the 2021 International Fast Track 200 list ranked #187 due to our 2-year average international sales growth. https://www.fasttrack.co.uk/league-tables/international-track-200/league-table/
Our key global statistics:
-New customer accounts: 2019-4449, 2020-10,714, 2021 (to-date)-20,810
-720,976.05 parts sold 2019, 996,156.57 sold in 2020, and 429,661.26 to date in 2021
-Returns (2.8% parts return 2019/20, 3.07% 2018/19)
UN Global Goals: We have set targets centred around ‘activating the circular economy’ and ‘advocating for a sustainable future’ to achieve between 2019-2025. This video shows what we have achieved to-date: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6795984724583088128
Repairs: Since 2019, the Repairs team have become an industry powerhouse. Currently 99% of incoming product goes to reuse, and 1% to recycling.
Sustainability groups: Techbuyer employees are active members of sustainability groups including:
-Free ICT Europe promotes fair/open markets for secondary IT. Following 3 years of collaboration, we were recently invited onto the board. https://www.freeict.eu/
-Following submitting evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee in 2019, in 2020 we were asked to provide oral evidence to the inquiry on electronic waste and circular economy. https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/febda368-f2d4-40f3-8436-62ead3ab3117
-From July 2020, Techbuyer started chairing the Data Centre Alliance’s Sustainability Special Interest Group. https://dca-global.org/groups/profile/7066/sustainability-sig
Projects: Techbuyer has taken part in some of the most significant projects within the data centre industry including working with Circular Economy in the Data Centre Industry (CEDaCI) to find quantifiable answers on extending the life cycle of IT hardware. Techbuyer also launched a KTP that lead to never-before-seen findings published into the world-leading academic paper, the IEEE about server efficiency, which has turned the traditional approach to IT on its head.
Growth/customer satisfaction: We are the only ‘IT hardware supplier’ to appear on 2021’s Fast Track 200 list which demonstrates our industry-leading growth. Our 25-point recertification process has resulted in fewer returns than major manufacturers who only tend to spot check their products and have a higher average return rate.
UN Global Goals: This is an achievement as we are going beyond our direct remit to drive sustainable practices, and also improve the health and wellbeing of communities globally. Although we already have a circular business model, we are constantly on the lookout for more ways to improve the environment we live in and our commitment to these goals demonstrates this.
Repairs: By reusing 99% of products that we received, Techbuyer is driving sector-wide change. Currently 52m tonnes of e-waste are generated per year that could either be reused or recycled. Our Repairs Team are helping lead the way towards 0% waste.
Sustainability groups: By being a part of these groups and conversations, we are helping to reduce barriers for re-use, influence the government’s policies and support long-term sustainability initiatives.
Projects: Our participation in the CEDaCI project (following being promoted to ‘full partner’ in 2021) means our knowledge is making data centre equipment more circular, and making cost-effective technology more accessible. Following the KTP project, our new business unit, Interact, was born which is the first tool of its kind that generates accurate recommendations to help data centres increase energy efficiency, decrease costs, and reduce the environmental impact of IT hardware https://www.interactdc.com/
Testimonials
CEDaCI project: "The challenge of developing a sectoral Circular Economy is enormous and can only be addressed by sharing knowledge about all aspects of the data centre industry. The work Techbuyer does for awareness on all aspects of the circular economy is invaluable.” Dr Deborah Andrews, South Bank University.
Interact project: “Interact carried out analysis on our 35-rack data centre with some amazing findings on potential cost, energy and carbon savings we can achieve. It is a great tool to make operational decisions as well as to demonstrate quantifiable improvements in company reports.”, AIM listed Cloud Services Provider.
Activating circular economy: “Avoiding the need for mining is high on our list of priorities. Price is one thing, but it’s not the most important factor. Working with Techbuyer means reusing materials already in use and so avoiding the need for mining and manufacture. The refurbished solution saved up to 87,250 kg CO2e as well as a significant amount of precious metals and critical raw materials identified by the EU as in low or politically unstable supply.” Jari Mononen, Unikie Group
Speaker experience
Data Centre world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWJsSwUtxyw&;t=7s
to discuss better learning with less resource Webinar https://edtechnology.co.uk/live-panel/on-demand/better-learning-with-less-resource/
Sustainability in Action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK6e5qYnr58
Organisations/projectsin application
Techbuyer win’s Queen’s Award, IEMA Circular Economy of the Year and makes International Fast Track https://queensawards.blog.gov.uk/2020/05/14/yorkshire-international-trade-winner-techbuyer-tell-us-why-they-are-proud-to-win-a-queens-award/ https://www.iema.net/resources/blog/2021/03/03/techbuyer-iema-sustainability-impact-award-winner-for-circular-economy-2020
https://www.fasttrack.co.uk/league-tables/international-track-200/league-table/
UN Global Goals and progress https://www.techbuyer.com/un-global-goals https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6795984724583088128
Free ICT Europe https://www.freeict.eu/
Inquiry on electronic waste/circular economy https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/febda368-f2d4-40f3-8436-62ead3ab3117
Data Centre Alliance’s Sustainability Special Interest Group https://dca-global.org/groups/profile/7066/sustainability-sig
Circular Economy in the Data Centre Industry https://www.cedaci.org/
Knowledge Transfer Project https://www.techbuyer.com/blog/agents-of-change
IEEE- https://www.techbuyer.com/blog/techbuyer-ground-breaking-server-research-published-into-world-leading-academic-paper-uk
Interact https://www.interactdc.com/