How to tackle the e-waste crisis with ChromeOS

Tacklingthe E-wasteCrisis ThroughCircularity

Takingactionfortheenvironmenthas neverbeenmoreimpoantforbusinesses. ChromeOScanhelpyourbusiness accelerateitssustainabilityjourney.

Inbrief

Businessleadersareembracingsustainabilitywithgrowingurgency.Attheheaofthis eoisanaempttocurbthegrowingcrisisofelectronicwaste(e-waste).

Businessleaderscanstepuptotheplatetotacklee-waste,staingwithembedding circularityintoworkforcetechnologyForbusinessesthatequiptheirworkforcewith devicessuchaslaptops,oneofthemostimpoantwaystoreducee-wastecontribution throughcircularityistopreventexistingdevicesfromenteringlandllsbyextendingtheir usefullife.

GoogleChromeOSoersbusinessesanoppounitytoreducetheire-waste contributionswithasimplechangetoworkforcetechnology.Byallowingbusinessesto givetheirexistingdevicesanewlifeandincreasingtheeciencyofdevicesinuse, ChromeOSFlexcanoercost-savingsofupto96%,emissionsreductionsof83%,andan e-wastereductionof100%-allintherstyear.

Readontolearnmoreaboutthemountingsustainabilitychallengesthatbusinessesface, andhowChromeOScanhelpyourbusinesslimite-waste,reduceyourcarbonfootprint, anddrivecostsavings.

Transitioning10,000devicestoChromeOSFlexcanamounttosavingsof…

ThisrepowasdevelopedwithAccenture’s suppoand50+primaryandsecondarysources toexplorecriticalthemesinsustainabilitythatare increasinglyattheheaofbusinessdecisions.

It’stimefor businessleadersto facesustainability headon

It’stimeforbusinessleaderstoface sustainabilityheadon

Sustainabilityisatthetopofbusinessleaders’agendas-anditshouldbe.

Heightenedurgencyfromenvironmentalchallengesandincreasingregulationsaredrivingleaders toredenebusinessmodelswithanewlenstowardsustainability.Accordingtoresearchdoneby theUnitedNationsinpanershipwithAccenture,63%ofbusinessleadersarelaunchingnew productandserviceoeringsaimedatdrivingsustainability.2

Embeddingsustainabilityintobusinessmodelsdoesn’tjustdriveenvironmentalbenets-it’salso beenshowntoimpacttheboomline.Sustainablebusinessespeormbeernancially,withthe EBITDAmarginoftopquailecompaniesrepoing21%higher(+3.4percentagepoints)thanthe boomquaile.3

Feelingthesustainabilitybuzz?You’renotalone.Thisemphasisonsustainabilityhasledmorethan athirdofglobalbusinessleaderstocommittonetzerotargetsby2050 However,despite aiculatingplanstoshitomoresustainablebusinessmodelsandpractices,leadersarestill strugglingwhenitcomestotranslatingcommitmentsintoaction.Infact,93%ofleadersarefacing signicantbarrierswhenitcomestoimplementingsustainablechanges.2

Thesebarriersoenarisefrombusinesses’connectiontotheirbroadersupplychainand ecosystem.Inasurveyof1,000+leadingCEOs,“extendingstrategythroughoutthesupplychain”, orensuringthatpanersandecosystemplayershavethesamesustainabilitymindset,wasthe#1 barrierforCEOsofenterpriseswithrevenuehigherthan$25M4

However,supplychainandpanerstrugglesdon’thavetokeepyourbusinessfrommeeting sustainabilitygoals.Whileyoumaynothavecontrolovertheactionsofyourecosystempaners, youcanchoosetoengagewithcompanieslikeGooglethatmatchyourbusiness’sdedicationto sustainability.Andthere’snobeertimetostathannow.

Thispaperwillhelpyoumakeprogressonyoursustainabilityambitionsbyoutliningnot onlytheenvironmentalbenetsbutalsothecostsavingsthatcanbeachievedthrough ChromeOSFlex.

“Climatechangeisthebiggestchallengeweface…andit’sonethat willaectallofusindeeplypersonalways”

1

Thegrowing e-wastecrisis& howcircularity canhelp

Thegrowinge-waste crisis&howcircularity canhelp

Oneoftheeasiestwaystogetstaedwith sustainabilityistoevaluate,andmitigate,your business’scontributiontothegrowinge-waste crisis.Thescaleoftheglobale-wastecrisisis staggering,with61.3MillionTons(Mt)ofe-waste tobediscardedbytheendof2023.Ifnoactionis taken,e-wasteisprojectedtorise22%to74.7Mt by2030,makingittheworld'sfastest-growing wastestream5

Whatise-waste?E-wastereferstoold,end-of-life orprematurelydiscardedelectricalandelectronic equipmentthatisnotrecycled,reused,or repurposed.Itcanencompassanythingfrom brokenrefrigeratorsthatendupinalandllto prematurelydiscardedlaptops,thrownoutwith householdwastetomakeroomforthelatest model.Byweight,laptopsandsimilardevices accountformorethan10%(6.7Mt)ofglobal e-waste.Andthisisnosmallnumber.IntheUS alone,41Mcomputersendupinlandllseachyear. Andmanyofthesedevicesdidn’tneedtobecome e-wasteintherstplace;everyyear,devicesare prematurelythrownawaythatcouldhave otherwiseremainedinuseifsowareupdates weresuppoedorrepairwasreadilyavailable.5

Overconsumption,inadequatedisposalinfrastructure,andlaxenforcementarealldriversofthe escalatingproblemofe-waste.IntheUS,theaveragenumberofdevicesperhouseholdsurgedto25 in2021,upnearly130%fromjust11devicesin2019.Despiteglobale-wasteregulationscovering71% oftheworld'spopulation,only17.4%ofwould-bee-wastewasproperlyrecycledworldwidein2019. Throughtheresponsiblemanagementofenterprisedevices,businessescanplaytheirpain increasingthepercentageofe-wasterecycledandtakingotherstepstomitigatethecrisis5,6

DIDYOUKNOW?

Around20% ofe-wastefromhigh-incomecountries(e.g.,theUS)isexpoedto low-incomecountriesinregionssuchasAfricaandSoutheastAsia,where over90% ofitisinformallyprocessedthroughdangerousmethodssuchas open-dumping,burning,leaching,andmelting,posingagraveenvironmental andhealthconcern.5

E-wastegenerationis predictedtogrowby +22% by2030(74.7Mt)

Astheproblemgrows,onethingisclear: circularitywillbeoneofthemostcritical toolsinthebaleagainste-waste

Circularityisafull-scalemindsetshithatrequiresapivotfromalinear‘take-make-waste’approach toarestorativeprocessthatreduceswaste Circularityisaneconomicmodel,regenerativebydesign, thataimstokeepproductsandmaterialsintheeconomyforaslongaspossible,maximizingtheir usefullifewhileminimizingtheextractionofnewrawmaterialsandthegenerationofwaste.Put simply,insteadofproducingmoreandmorestuthatisdestinedtoendupinalandll,circularity focusesonprioritizingproductsthataremeanttolastandkeepingtheminuseaslongaspossible.

Thebenetsofcircularityaremultifold Fromapurelyenvironmentalperspective,80%oftheannual volumeofplasticsinouroceanscanbemitigatedthroughcircularityItmightbecounterintuitive,but nearlyahofe-wasteisplastic.Societally,theadoptionofcircularbusinessmodelsisprojectedto resultinthedevelopmentof6Mnewjobsby2030.Finally, theeconomicbenetsshouldnotbe ignored.Circularitypresentsa$4.5trillionglobaloppounityby2030throughmodelsincluding sharingplaorms,products-as-a-service,productlifeextension,circularsupplychains,andrecovery andrecyclinginfrastructure.ThisamountstoanoppounitylargerthantheGDPofGermany,the4th largesteconomy.7,8

HowGooglecan helpyourbusiness reducee-waste throughcircularity

HowGooglecanhelpyourbusinessreduce e-wastethroughcircularity

Theconceptofcircularitysoundsgreat,buthowcanyoumovefromideatoexecutionwithyour business’sworkforcetechnology?Nomaerwhereyouareonyoursustainabilityjourney,ChromeOS Flexcanmakeadierence-leveragingChromeOSFlexisasimple,easy-to-implementchangethat willallowyoutomakeprogresstowardsustainabilitygoalswithoutsignicantchangestocompany operations.

Oneoftheeasiestwaystoprevente-wastefromheadingtolandllstoosoonistoensureyouare makingthemostofthedevicesyoualreadyown.Thegoalforanyexistingtechnologyinyour workforceshouldbetoextenditsusefullifeasmuchaspossible.

ChromeOSFlexisacloud-rst,easy-to-manage,andfastoperatingsystemforPCsandMacsthatwill allowyoutoaccomplishthatgoal.Youmayndthataginghardwareinyourworkforce’stechnology eetisoenrenderedunusablefromsowarebloatorsecurityvulnerabilities,leadingittobe discardedwithstill-functioninghardware.Yoursowaremaybestruggling,butyourhardwaremight stillhaveplentyoflifeinit.ThisiswhereChromeOSFlexcomesin.Insteadofsendingdevicestoa landllastheyage,ChromeOSFlexwillallowyoutobreatheextendedlifeintoyourworkforce’s deviceswiththefollowingbenets:

Ongoingsuppofor updatesatfaster speed

Devicesdon’tslowdown overtimeandwon’tget impactedbylackof suppoforsoware updates.Background updatesreducedevice downtimeandimprove productivity

Proactive,innovative security

Ratherthanarewall, blockedexecutablesand sandboxingtechnology eliminatetheneedfor antivirussoware, ensuringyouremployee’s devicesaresafefrom growingcybersecurity threats.

Fastdeployment& easymanagement

ChromeOSFlexcanbe rapidlydeployedviaUSB orthroughyourcompany network,andChrome EnterpriseUpgrademakes iteasytomanageapps andpoliciesacrossyour workforce

Besidesconvenience,implementingChromeOSFlexcanhaveasignicantimpactonyourboomline andyourbusiness’sprogresstowardsustainabilitygoals.Firsto,transitioningtoChromeOSFlex givesyouraging,tireddevicesanewleaseonlifeandreducestheneedtobuynewdevices.Notonly isthisbenecialfortheenvironmentbyreducing(1)harmfulCO2emissionsand(2)thereleaseoftoxic chemicalsfrome-waste,butitalsoprovidessavingswhereitmaersmostforyourbusiness–on yourboomline.SwitchingtoChromeOSFlexcanoercost-savingsofupto96%(inclusiveof avoidednewdevicespend,subscriptioncostsavings,andenergycostsavings)aswellasemissions reductionsof83%(resultingfromavoidedlifecycleemissionsofpurchasinganewdeviceandrunning amoreecientOS)ande-wastereductionsof100%(fromlimitingnewdevicepurchases)inYear1 alone.Thecherryontop?DevicesthatrunChromeOSFlexare19%moreenergyecientonaverage thanotherdevices,slashingenergyuse,cuingcosts,andsuppoingsustainabilitygoals!10

ChromeOSFlexTotalSavings9

Note:Savingsassume1deviceperemployee

ChromeOSFlexvs.PurchasingaNewDevice:Cost,Emissions&E-wasteComparison

Whatdothesesavingsconsistof?

AsChromeOSFlexcandelaytheneedtopurchaseanewdeviceandrunsmoreeciently (byupto19%)signicantcostandenvironmentalsavingscanberealized9,10:

Cost

Avoidedpurchaseofnewdevices, energysavingsfromincreased eciency,subscriptioncostsavings

Emissions

Avoidedemissionsfromproductionof anewdevice,reducedemissionsfrom increasedeciency

E-waste

Avoidede-wastegenerationfrom givingdevicesasecondlife

EnergyUse

Reducedenergyusefromincreased eciency

DIDYOUKNOW?

Intherstyear,transitioning10,000devicestoChromeOSFlexinsteadof buyingnewdevices9:

● ReducesCO2emissionsequivalentto9.3Mfossilfuelcarmiles

● Cutsasmuche-wasteastheweightof167couches

● SavesenoughenergytopowertheaverageAmericanhouseholdfor40years

Howto getstaed

Howtogetstaed

It’simpoanttoactnowtorethinkyourenterprisetechnologystrategyinlightofthegrowinge-waste crisis.Anditdoesn’ttakeabigleap–ChromeOSFlexallowsyoutomakemindfulchangestoyour workforce’stechnologystrategythathaveamajorimpact.

TogetstaedwithChromeOSFlextoday,youshouldbethinkingthrough4mainsteps: 01

Evaluateyourcurrententerprisetechstack andoppounitiestoembedcircularityin yourworkforce’stechnology

Howmanynewlaptopsareyouretiringeachyear thatcouldberevitalizedwiththeuseofChromeOS Flex? 02

ContactaChromeEnterpriserepresentative todiscussoptionsforyourbusiness

a UnderstandhowChromeOSFlexcouldbe benecialforyourbusiness

b. Tryitoutforyourself!AllyouneedisaUSBdrive toinstallChromeOSFlexonyourdevice,or simplybootandrunfromtheUSBtotryitout beforedecidingtoinstallitonyourdevice.

c Discussnextstepsforinstallationand managementacrossyourworkforce,as applicable.

03

Determinesocializationandchange managementforyourworkforce

Howcanyousocializetheenvironmentalsavings (e.g.,emissions)withyourworkforceandcustomers asyoudrivethesechanges? 04

Continuetothinkaheadtobothfuture hardwareinvestmentsaswellasultimate deviceend-of-life

a Considerationsforcircularitybeginwhen devicesareinitiallypurchased When purchasingadditionalhardwareforyour workforce,prioritizedevicesthataredurable andeasytorepairtokeepyourhardware functioningforaslongaspossible

b. Whendevicesreachtheirendoflifedueto hardwareconstraintsandrequiredisposal, ensureyourenterpriseistakingthestepsto properlydisposeof,recycleandreusee-waste E-wastecannotbedisposedofinregularwaste bins,soaplanmustbemadeaccordingtolocal protocolsandregulationstoensuretoxicwaste andhazardousbyproductsaren’tleachedinto theenvironment Formoreinformationon e-wastedisposalandregion-specic resources,checkoutGoogle’srecycling programandrecyclingresourcesbyregion.

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