Ctrl, Alt, Delete Reuse!

UCL is proud to say that all of ISD’s laptops, desktops and monitors are EPEAT Gold rated.

EPEAT Is The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, which scores products on an array of sustainability criteria, from energy efficiency and how easily they can be upgraded and reused, to using non-hazardous materials in parts and recycled packaging for delivery.

Electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the UK, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Ten million tons of electronic products will be bought in the UK in the next six years alone. This amount will include 20 tons of gold, 400 tons of silver and seven tons of platinum-group metals – worth some £1.5bn!!! How much have you thrown away this year?

As all of ISD’s products, supplied by Dell and HP, are the highest gold rating, this demonstrates that they are designed for longevity, can be taken back by the supplier and can be easily recycled if no longer operational. In line with UCL’s stance to follow a circular economy approach to purchasing, this should keep hardware running for longer at UCL and make sure very little is thrown away out of the circle.

Therefore UCL is getting maximum value from them, and helping reduce the impacts of otherwise mining for metals for new hardware.

That doesn’t mean you are excused from forgetting to switch your machine off though!

If you buy hardware at UCL, you might be interested in seeing the full EPEAT criteria here and find out more about a circular economy here.