According to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), e-waste is “any discarded product with a plug or a battery.” Earth has a massive amount of electronic waste and the problem is getting worse. Worldwide, e-waste is being generated five times faster than recycling efforts.
In fact, only 22.3% of global e-waste was properly collected and recycled in 2022. As a result, businesses and consumers bury $62 billion worth of recoverable metals in landfills annually.
For MSPs, this is not just a crisis—it’s an untapped business opportunity. Addressing e-waste can position MSPs as leaders in sustainability while creating new revenue streams. By offering comprehensive hardware management and building key strategic partnerships, MSPs can capitalize on the need.
How MSPS Can Differentiate Themselves
Jeff Fox
“To be a trusted resource for your client, you need to look at the lifecycle of their equipment,” said Jeff Fox, chief revenue officer at Lannan Technologies. During initial sales calls, Fox said he often discovers prospective clients with cubicles full of old computer equipment. This not only creates clutter, the data contained can pose a security risk.
Fox believes that MSPs can differentiate themselves by addressing client equipment lifecycles at the outset of the relationship. It takes a detailed plan to determine what happens to tech gear when it reaches end of life.
When he worked at a previous MSP, Fox headed up an e-waste campaign. Fox’s company collaborated with a local nonprofit to collect and refurbish old computers. The systems were then distributed to local families in need. In addition to helping the community, the event helped Fox’s team engage with clients in a non-sales setting, he said.
Partnering with Nonprofits to Handle E-Waste
A notable nonprofit that partners closely with MSPs is PCs for People. It has two primary missions:
- Keep electronics out of landfills.
- Promote digital equity — getting affordable computers into low-income households.
Loren Williams
Loren Williams, regional account manager at the nonprofit, highlighted the organization’s successes in this area. In 2023, PCs for People kept six million pounds of electronics out of landfills and refurbished 57,000 computers.
When MSPs participate, the process is simple. They fill out a short form listing the inventory flagged for pick-up and where it’s located. PCs for People will then dispatch one of its drivers — it has ten locations across the country — to pick it up.
Once PCs for People takes possession of the hardware, it takes full liability for data destruction. Upon completion of the data deletion process, customers receive a Certificate of Data Sanitization listing for each serial number, Williams said.
PCs for People holds Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher (MAR) status and ensures that every refurbished PC has a fully licensed version of Windows. They also include a one-year warranty and access to tech support.
Addressing E-Waste’s Data Concerns
Arguably, the biggest fear that MSPs and their clients have when retiring old equipment is what happens to the data it contains. When vetting recycling and refurbishment firms, it’s important to confirm that they’re following accepted best practices. Two examples are i-SIGMA’s NAID AAA certification and SERI’s R2 certification.
Williams recognizes that for most MSPs, providing a service like this is probably not profitable if they do this on their own. For this reason, he encourages firms to seek out organizations like his instead. “It’s not a high value-add to go pick up equipment, or to have your technicians sitting there deleting data,” he said.
When working with his organization, there are also opportunities to promote the fact that both MSPs and their clients are concerned about e-waste — and doing something about it, Williams added.
That resulting goodwill can translate into more sales, if the MSP markets their sustainability leadership in a gentle way. “We’re happy to help with PR. It can be a positive for the MSP, the end user, or both,” Williams said.
Images: iStock
