Good Things Foundation, the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity, and their exclusive technology partner, Reconome, are celebrating a major milestone for their groundbreaking National Device Bank. What began as an emergency response during the Covid-19 pandemic has evolved into a premier national service, now surpassing 100 contributing public and private sector organisations. Crucially, the partnership has now supported almost 40,000 people in need.
Partnering with the National Device Bank is one of the ways UK organisations can take action on e-waste and digital inclusion, as part of the remarkable success of the government-backed IT Reuse for Good Charter, which has just been shortlisted for a Third Sector Award for Best Policy Initiative of the Year.
With 1.6 million UK adults still lacking a device to access the internet, the National Device Bank aims to tackle this problem by giving devices to people who are digitally excluded. Enabled through its partnership with Reconome, the initiative turns decommissioned laptops, smartphones, and tablets that might otherwise have been prematurely recycled or disposed of, into life-changing digital opportunities. This is only made possible thanks to the contributions from private and public sector organisations that have pioneered repurposing IT for social good.
Reconome and Good Things recently marked the significant milestone, collecting decommissioned tech from its 100th contributor, Adur & Worthing Councils.
Celebrating one year of the IT Reuse for Good Charter
Marking its anniversary, the IT Reuse for Good Charter – developed by Good Things Foundation alongside the former UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), VodafoneThree, and Deloitte UK – advocates for a ‘reuse first’ approach to corporate IT asset management. It aims to embed social and environmental good into standard asset disposal, directly supporting Net Zero goals.
Since the Charter launched, 28,000 individuals have benefited from a refurbished device. DSIT’s ‘One Year On’ report demonstrates the charter’s impact has been immediate and profound:
- 43 major signatories across the private, public, and third sectors have committed to the charter.
- Signatories are fully supported via the IT Reuse for Good Charter Playbook, a practical blueprint for organisations establishing their own device donation schemes.
Nick Rawkins, CEO and Founder, Reconome, said:
“Reaching a hundred contributors makes you stop and think about what we’ve actually built. Three years ago it was a pilot with something to prove. Now we have a hundred organisations that have chosen to put their end-of-life technology to work for people who are locked out of the digital world. For so many of them, a refurbished device isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a way back in. Our target of 85,000 devices with Good Things Foundation isn’t an aspiration; it’s a commitment to people in digital poverty, who cannot afford for us to fall short.”
Honouring key contributors
The scale of the National Device Bank is made possible by a powerful coalition of forward-thinking organisations. Good Things Foundation wishes to extend its gratitude to the core partners driving this movement:
- Reconome: Good Things’ exclusive technology partner providing a seamless, integrated experience for both corporate tech partners and community recipients.
- Virgin Media O2 and Nominet: Provided the vital initial seed funding to set up and launch the National Device Bank.
- VodafoneThree: Named the National Device Bank as a key part of their Great British Tech Appeal, rallying their extensive business customer network to contribute.
- The Metropolitan Police: The initiative’s most significant device contributor to date, single-handedly enabling the fulfilment of the London Device Bank on behalf of the Greater London Authority.
- National Grid Electricity Distribution: Entrusted the National Device Bank with its very first official device collection, an initiative that has since expanded across their wider UK group.
- Partners driving the reuse movement: People’s Partnership, London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI), Land Aid, and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, who have used their influential networks to refer and onboard new contributors.
- Milestone Supporter: The National Device Bank is also proud to welcome Adur & Worthing Councils as its landmark 100th contributor.
Simon Millier, Head of Technology & Design, Adur & Worthing Councils, said:
Access to technology isn’t a luxury – it’s essential for accessing digital services and staying connected. We’re really proud to be working with Reconome and Good Things Foundation to contribute to the National Device Bank, and excited to be its 100th contributor! It’s incredible to hear how much difference our retired IT equipment can make when it’s given a second life. They are really helping people in communities access services, find work and participate in everything online.
Natasha Early, National Device Bank Lead, Good Things Foundation, said:
“It’s a fantastic milestone to acknowledge the 100 organisations that have contributed to the National Device Bank. Leveraging decommissioned IT assets for digital inclusion benefit is gaining traction in the UK right now. Thanks to the government-backed IT Reuse for Good Charter and the many reuse schemes operating around the nations, there are so many ways for private and public sector organisations to get involved. So, this feels like the perfect moment to thank the pioneers and encourage even more to consider IT reuse for good.”
Looking ahead
Good Things Foundation and its partners are calling on more UK businesses and public bodies to join the movement. By signing the IT Reuse for Good Charter and contributing decommissioned hardware, organisations can simultaneously hit their sustainability targets and unlock access for the millions currently left behind in our digital society.
Old tech. New beginnings.