Sustainability Compliance
Detailed Carbon Calculations and Maximum Resource Use
Reuse is better than recycling. That’s the core of our business—and it’s also what the UN STEP initiative (Solving the E-waste Problem) advocates. Since 1995, we’ve helped build an entirely new industry focused on maximizing the use of IT resources by extending the life cycles of millions of IT products.
World-Leading Environmental Reporting in Reuse
In collaboration with the environmental research institute IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Inrego has developed a world-leading model for environmental reporting in the reuse sector. This model enables precise measurement of how much carbon dioxide (CO₂) is saved when we reuse computers, smartphones, and other IT products. For the first time, emissions savings from refurbishment can be calculated by category, subcategory, model—and even down to individual components. Our model makes it possible.
We help our customers reduce their scope 3 emissions and reach their Science Based Targets through accurate CO₂ reporting based on this calculation—so every company that sells its used IT equipment to us knows exactly how much carbon dioxide they’ve helped save.
Reach Your High Ambitions for a Low Climate Footprint
At Inrego’s request, analysis consultants at ClimateHero compiled data on emissions from Swedish service companies. The report shows that the average employee is responsible for 1.9 tons of CO₂ emissions per year—and that as much as 12% of those emissions come from purchasing new IT hardware. By choosing reuse instead, that figure can be reduced by up to 11%!
Take responsibility across all three dimensions of sustainability
Environmental responsibility
Every year, more electronics are discarded than the total weight of the world’s heaviest structure—the Great Wall of China. E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream globally, and less than one-fifth of it is recycled properly.
The extraction of critical raw materials needed to produce new IT hardware comes at a high cost to both people and the planet. Manufacturing a single computer requires 22 kilos of chemicals, 1,500 liters of water, and generates 1,200 kilos of waste. The production process involves mining rare minerals—often under environmentally and ethically questionable conditions.
By choosing circular IT, you help protect ecosystems and biodiversity in line with the UN’s Global Goal 15. You also contribute to fighting climate change (Goal 13) and promoting responsible consumption and production (Goal 12).
Social responsiblity
Few companies in electronics manufacturing are willing to admit that rechargeable batteries often contain cobalt mined by men, women, and children under extremely hazardous conditions. But that’s the harsh reality behind much of today’s electronics production.
At Inrego, we’ve chosen a different path. We create sustainable jobs within the circular economy—jobs with decent working conditions in a socially and physically safe environment. By partnering with us, you support the UN’s Global Goal 9 for sustainable industry, innovation, and infrastructure, as well as Goal 8 for decent work and economic growth.
Since the beginning, Inrego has worked closely with the education sector, which remains one of our largest customer groups for refurbished electronics. With access to a computer and internet connection comes the opportunity for education and a brighter future—contributing directly to Goal 4: quality education for all.
Economic responsibility
Transitioning to a circular economy requires collaboration between businesses, academia, and policymakers—and when you sell your used IT equipment to us, you become part of making that shift possible. Together, we’ve influenced policy, conducted research, and built global partnerships that support sustainable development for both people and the planet. Your actions contribute to the UN’s Global Goal 17 for partnerships and Goal 11 for sustainable cities and communities.
A refurbished computer can cost up to 80% less than a new one, making technology more accessible to people in lower-income countries—particularly within the education sector, where it can open doors to knowledge and communication. In doing so, you also help reduce inequalities in line with Global Goal 10.
