Despite Sustainability Goals, Enterprises Unnecessarily Discard Devices Creating Massive Waste, According to SOTI Global Research Report

69% of U.S. IT leaders believe that devices are replaced prematurely; Wearables top list at 71% of most discarded devices

Despite an emphasis on corporate sustainability, enterprises across the United States are disposing of electronic devices prematurely, including rugged devices such as handhelds, scanners and barcode readers, according to global research from SOTI.

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Nearly 7 in 10 (68.9%) of U.S. IT leaders believe devices are being disposed of unnecessarily with wearables (71%) and laptops (69.9%) topping the list as the most commonly and prematurely disposed of electronics. This is despite 65.4% of IT leaders having clear targets for reducing e-waste, and 61.8% working towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) key performance indicators (KPIs) around sustainable device management.

These findings have been detailed in SOTI’s inaugural sustainability report, Reduce, Reuse, Rethink: From Discard Mentality to Tech Sustainability, which highlights that close to half (44.8%) of IT leaders believe tablets and laptops are unnecessarily replaced according to their expected lifespan, while 39.8% believe mobile phones, handhelds and wearables are also replaced for the same reason.

The study found that IT professionals aren’t truly aware of the environmental implications of unnecessarily discarding hardware with more than two-thirds stating that their actions aren’t an important environmental issue for their company. Rather, 66.6% believe that having the latest mobile technology hardware at their disposal makes their organization more attractive for workers.

“There is a major disconnect between an IT professional’s actions and the perceived impact on the environment,” said Shash Anand, VP of Product Strategy at SOTI. “At SOTI, we recognize that Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions can expand a device’s lifespan, reducing the need for constant hardware replacements, saving corporations capital and improving the environmental impact.”

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A Trail of Unnecessary E-Waste
There are many factors contributing to the unnecessary disposal of devices in enterprises.

Of the IT leaders surveyed, 41.6% agree they replace mobile phones, handhelds and wearables when a newer model comes out, while over half (51.6%) replace tablets and laptops for the same reason. And if requested to do so with no reason behind it, 38.2% will replace mobile phones, handhelds and wearables, 47.2% will replace tablets and laptops and 31.2% will replace printers. However, the report found that nearly half (47.4%) will allow the full lifespan of a printer and will only replace it once it is reached its expectancy.

The report also found devices are replaced simply because of warranty expirations:

• 33.6% globally replace mobile phones, handhelds and wearables
• 41.8% replace laptops and tablets
• 29.6% dispose of printers

E-Waste Illiteracy is a Financial Deficiency

Organizations commonly make the mistake of replacing a device once the lifetime of a battery has ended, when in many cases with devices like handhelds, scanners and barcode readers, batteries are changeable, and the hardware can live on.

Furthermore, only 34.6% of IT leaders reporting 1% to 25% of annual budget is earmarked for battery replacement. The report also found this is true primarily in the healthcare, financial services and technology sectors.

“Enterprises are wasting money by disposing of electronic devices prematurely and going after shiny new ones to ‘stay competitive’. IT professionals need to take this into account and understand the implications of replacing devices too soon,” concluded Shash Anand, VP of Product Strategy at SOTI. “As the era of IoT introduces enterprises to device diagnosis and repair as well as the dematerialization of electronics, more leaders can ensure proper device management and stay true to their commitment to reduce e-waste.”

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