Environmental Case Study: Transforming Retail eWaste Disposal

Discover how our retail client, with a sprawling national presence spanning 200 locations, seamlessly managed the disposal of their ewaste and IT infrastructure while adhering to stringent global regulations.

Benefits

• Attain environmental disposal certification.

• Ensure compliance with international regulations and audits.

• Access verified ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) data for incorporation into enterprise reports.

• Streamline logistics planning and eliminate the need for company trucking.

• Effectively dispose of hazardous fractions.

A National Footprint with Diverse Equipment

Our client, an international retail giant, turned to Xperien to navigate the complex landscape of environmental disposal and data protection regulations, encompassing both the USA and local legislation such as PoPIA and GDPR.

Operating across the nation, our client required the decommissioning of a wide array of IT infrastructure and electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). This included Point of Sale (POS) devices, Processing Data Quickly (PDQ) terminals, cash drawers, till slip printers, scanners, weighing scales, scrolling LED signs, public address (PA) systems, microphones, speakers, teleconferencing systems, and merchandising display monitors.

No Residual Value

The majority of the electrical and electronic equipment being disposed of had been heavily utilized and was voluminous, making it challenging to recover any residual value. Where residual value did exist, it was typically offset against the cost of collection programs.

Managing Hazardous Waste Disposal

The equipment also presented the challenge of containing various hazardous waste categories, including lithium and cadmium batteries, brominated plastics in fire-retardant computer casings, mercury in fluorescent lighting, beryllium and lead in cathode ray tubes (CRTs), and radioactive waste in smoke detectors. These diverse categories of ewaste required specialized recycling processors and could become very costly if handled individually. Xperien efficiently collected and separated the ewaste into specific categories and facilitated their transport to downstream processors.

Addressing the Logistical Challenge

Our client's vast network, comprising more than retail facilities across major South African towns, posed a logistical challenge. Xperien overcame this hurdle by leveraging regional collection centers in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, in partnership with a national courier service provider. This allowed for swift repatriation of non-data-bearing ewaste from remote locations, such as Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Potchefstroom, and Gqeberha, to the regional collection centers.

Environmental Disposal Certificate & Verified Data

Xperien supplied environmental disposal certificates for an auditable trail and classified environmental data to integrate into the ITAD-ESG report. Our services align with GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) classifications, see table below.

Xperien Services	GRI Classification	SASB Classification
E1- Reuse	GRI 306-3, 4, 5	SASB TC-HW-410a.4
E2- Prevent eWaste	GRI 306-3, 4, 5	SASB TC-HW-410a.4

Classification source: Sustainable IT

Inspired by our case study?

Reach out to us today, and together, we can develop an environmental disposal plan tailored to your enterprise's needs, ensuring compliance with ESG factors.

📧 Email: bridgette@xperien.co.za

📞 Phone: +27 11 486 8806