Case Study: Driving Sustainability and Cost Savings for a Large Supermarket Chain
 Client Overview

Industry: Retail (Supermarket Chain)
Location: Australia
Services Provided: IT asset lifecycle management, e-waste recycling, and supply of secondary IT products

 
Introduction

The client, a large supermarket chain, faced significant challenges with its IT infrastructure. The network assets had reached the end of security support, creating operational and security pressures to refresh the entire IT infrastructure. Historically, the client disposed of their decommissioned assets by giving them away without gaining any financial return.

The client sought a sustainable and cost-effective solution that would address both their asset refresh needs and their growing commitment to reducing environmental impact.

 
Objective

Goals:

Refresh all network assets to maintain security compliance.
Ensure environmentally responsible disposal and repurposing of IT assets.
Reduce the financial burden of acquiring new IT infrastructure.
Contribute to corporate Scope 3 emissions reduction goals.

Solution

Our approach delivered a comprehensive solution by:

Repurposing Assets:
We took away all decommissioned assets and repurposed approximately 30% of them back into the supply chain, extending their useful life and supporting the circular economy.
Providing Credit:

We offered the client a substantial credit based on the value of the assets. This credit was used to offset the cost of purchasing secondary IT products, covering approximately 20% of their asset refresh needs.

Sustainability in Action:

All e-waste was managed within Australia, ensuring transparency and compliance with local environmental regulations.
Materials recovered from one tonne of IT assets included:90g of silver
310kg of copper
9g of palladium

Secondary Product Integration:

By utilizing pre-owned IT products, the client avoided the CO2 emissions associated with manufacturing new hardware. 20% of the refreshed assets were secondary products, significantly reducing their Scope 3 emissions.

Results

Key Metrics Achieved:

20% reduction in capex costs:Leveraging credits and the cost efficiency of pre-owned products reduced the financial impact of the IT refresh.
Material Recovery:From one tonne of decommissioned IT assets, we extracted valuable materials, demonstrating a commitment to resource recovery.
Circular Economy Contribution:30% of the decommissioned assets were repurposed, extending their lifecycle.
Sustainability Impact:20% of newly acquired assets were pre-owned, avoiding emissions and supporting a more sustainable IT strategy.

Sustainability Impact

This initiative highlights how sustainability and financial benefits can go hand in hand:

Reduction in Environmental Impact: By handling all e-waste locally, we eliminated potential risks associated with overseas processing.
Circular Economy Leadership: Repurposing 30% of assets and reintroducing them into the supply chain demonstrated the tangible benefits of a circular economy approach.
Scope 3 Emissions Savings: Utilizing pre-owned products directly reduced emissions linked to the manufacturing of new IT hardware.
 
Next Steps
The success of this partnership opens the door to expanding sustainable practices across the client’s broader IT infrastructure. Future opportunities include:

Establishing an ongoing IT asset buyback program.
Increasing the share of secondary products in future refresh cycles.
Leveraging recovered materials for measurable environmental reporting.
 
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