Retired IT has a habit of piling up quietly. Devices sit in storage. Refresh cycles keep coming. And for many companies, what starts as “we’ll deal with it later” can quickly become a mix of operational friction, missed sustainability goals, and lost residual value.
That’s where this case study begins.
A leading Canadian insurance and financial services organization partnered with Green4Good IT Lifecycle Solutions to securely manage legacy IT assets while advancing ESG and sustainability objectives. The goal was straightforward: keep end-of-life IT compliant and secure, while turning it into measurable environmental progress and tangible financial return.
Thus far, throughout the course of this relationship, 25,300 assets have been processed. This represents 225,233 pounds of equipment managed through a structured, secure lifecycle approach. But the real story isn’t just the volume. It’s what happened next.
Rather than treating retired devices as simply a disposal problem, the insurance and financial services organization took a reuse-first path. 186,150 pounds of equipment were repurposed for reuse, extending the life of the assets and keeping material in circulation instead of sending it straight to landfill. In practical terms, that means over 80% of the total weight was repurposed: an outcome that aligns strongly with circular economy goals and reduces demand for new manufacturing.That reuse-first decision also drove something many organizations struggle to quantify: carbon impact. Through this program, the organization earned 4,186 carbon credits, representing 4,186 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e). To put that impact into perspective, here are a few real-world equivalents:
4,186 metric tons of CO₂e is roughly the same as:- The greenhouse gas emissions from 976 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year.
- The CO₂ emissions from 471,025 gallons of gasoline consumed.
- 4,649,871 pounds of coal burned.
- The energy use of 562 homes for one year.
- 338,424,594 smartphones charged.
- 192,301 propane cylinders used for home BBQs.
- Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by 1,479 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled.
- Or 221 garbage trucks worth of waste recycled instead of landfilled.
- Comparable to 1.3 wind turbines running for a year.
And if the most intuitive comparison is nature-based impact, the same 4,186 metric tons of CO₂e is comparable to:
- The carbon sequestered by 69,216 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
- 25 acres of U.S. forests preserved from conversion to cropland for one year.
- Or the carbon captured by 4,199 acres of U.S. forests in one year.
These equivalencies are more than fun facts, they’re a way to translate ESG progress into terms that employees, stakeholders, and leadership teams can instantly understand.
Just as importantly, this program proved that sustainability and financial performance don’t have to compete. In addition to the environmental outcomes, the engagement generated $990,892.74 in total net value raised for the client: nearly $1 million returned from assets that could have otherwise depreciated quietly in storage. Instead of being a cost centre, end-of-life IT became a measurable source of recovery and return.
That’s what makes this story resonate: it’s not a one-time cleanup. It’s a model. A secure, structured lifecycle approach that supports compliance, advances ESG objectives, and unlocks tangible economic value, while keeping more material in use for longer.
In a world where sustainability targets are rising and budgets are scrutinized, this case demonstrates what’s possible when organizations treat legacy technology as an opportunity instead of a burden. With the right program in place, retired IT can become a repeatable driver of environmental progress and financial return: turning legacy tech into legacy value.
Curious to learn more? Contact Green4Good IT Lifecycle Solutions today!
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