Gatehouse Bank Rehomed Their IT To Avoid 74,506kg Of CO2 Emissions And Create The Greatest Social And Environmental Impact
Many companies now recognise sourcing refurbished IT for the workplace and donating obsolete equipment will help achieve sustainability, corporate social responsibility and financial goals.
Gatehouse Bank is no exception. Therefore, when they moved premises, it became a priority to donate their existing equipment to a worthy cause to create the greatest social and environmental impact.
Finding the right partner for sustainable goals
Gatehouse Bank were determined to achieve their sustainability goals of improving the impact of their IT on the environment.
They approached Reconome in 2020 when preparing to move their London headquarters to the Helicon building in the City. The Helicon is an exciting development combining retail and commercial offices in an environmentally sustainable architectural design. It has an inspiring and ambitious strategy to reduce energy consumption by controlling solar energy through the building’s façade.
Geraldine Burnett, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Gatehouse Bank told us, “We were looking for solutions to make our relocation as sustainable as possible. Reconome was chosen because they demonstrated they had the right experience and attitude to deliver our goals to improve the environmental and social impact of our operations”.
Upgrading or disposing of current PCs and monitors
As part of the move, the plan was to upgrade most of the PCs and monitors currently in use at the bank. Also, a solution was necessary to dispose of over 290 electronic devices within a sustainable Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) framework.
After liaising with the Gatehouse team, Reconome collected, tested, wiped and skillfully refurbished the unused IT equipment, preparing it for either reuse or recycling. They then remarketed the equipment to charities, schools and SMEs at affordable prices.
Outstanding results achieved
The results of this partnership approach were incredible. 100% of the devices donated by Gatehouse were reused – with many starting their second life at schools and charities – at a time when equipment was hard to come by during the Pandemic.
The Gatehouse Bank/Reconome partnership is a positive example of how two companies with a shared passion for the environment worked together to avoid 1654.4 kg of IT equipment being sent to landfills.
By donating their unwanted IT, Gatehouse Bank avoided 74,506 kg of CO 2 emissions – 43% of the total carbon footprint of the devices. The calculations were made with the help of the information available from the European Environment Agency – who suggest it would take 3,387 trees one year to offset the effects of those levels of CO2.
Geraldine commented, “This result is impressive and went beyond our initial expectations”. She continued, “We are delighted that our unused IT has been relocated to worthy recipients such as schools and charities at an affordable cost to them”.
The results reinforce the Reconome mission to refurbish and rehome devices from large corporations and ensure they reach schools, charities, community organisations and start-up SMEs, where they can have the highest positive social impact.
Working with Reconome provided guidance, support and solutions
Geraldine concluded by saying,
“At Gatehouse we are always looking for ways to improve the environmental impact of our business. Devices like monitors have a large carbon footprint associated with their production and we identified Reconome’s IT recycling solution as a key opportunity to make a sustainable choice. Our collaboration with Reconome has resulted in less e-waste being sent to landfills and has provided affordable equipment to worthy causes. Thank you to the team at Reconome for the positive social and environmental impact we have made together”.
Gatehouse Bank is a Shariah compliant UK Bank. Their business and operations are conducted in a manner that calls for fair dealing and their products are transparent, fair and socially responsible. Find out more about Gatehouse Bank here .
Contact Us if you want to rehome your IT where it will have greater social impact.