Over 100,000 items of IT hardware saved from landfill since launch of Stone 360 app

With over 2,000 downloads of its Stone 360 app, resulting in over 100,000 items of ageing, broken or redundant IT hardware taken to its IT asset disposal facility (ITAD) for recycling, Stone Group’s continued commitment to combatting the UK’s growing e-waste problem has been recognised by the Think Global Awards, with a shortlisting in the sustainability category.

Stone Group, a leading ICT solutions provider, launched the Stone 360 app late last year to help organisations effectively manage the entire lifecycle of their IT assets in just a few easy clicks. The app enables organisations to arrange collection of their unwanted hardware at their convenience. All items, including monitors, laptops, desktops, printers and servers, are then taken to Stone’s ITAD facility in Staffordshire where they are securely wiped of all data, then either refurbished and given a second life or recycled.

App users can track and manage the rebates for their old IT assets and collect points to purchase new or refurbished IT. Stone Group is also working in partnership with the National Forest to plant a tree for every 200 pieces of kit they donate. So, far Stone has planted over 500 trees on behalf of its customers and users can see a visual representation on the app of all the trees that have been planted on their behalf.

The Think Global sustainability award recognises efforts to contribute to a more sustainable society and the judges are looking at the innovation developed to help protect the environment. The winners of these prestigious awards will be announced on 12^th April 2021.

Tim Westbrook, director at Stone Group said: “This award shortlisting is testament to our efforts as a business to facilitate positive change and help our customers achieve their own sustainability goals.

“As IT resellers it is our responsibility to minimise the negative impact e-waste has on the environment. The UK is one of the world’s worst offenders, with figures from the Global E-Waste Monitor in 2019 showing that 23.9kg of unwanted technology was generated by each person. We all need to take greater responsibility for the items we no longer use and choose a sustainable route for their disposal and it’s time the IT industry did more to make this as easy as possible for everyone.

“We’re 100% committed to ensuring that zero waste that comes to our facility ends up in landfill and if we’re not able to refurbish a device, we recycle as much as we can of it and any waste materials are turned into other items such as water bottles.”

“The app is so simple to use and it’s a complete game changer for our customers. It not only offers them an easy and sustainable way to manage their end-of-life IT assets, but it also enables them to track their rebates and replace old kit as required.

With many people working at home since the start of the pandemic, Stone Group has seen a significant increase in the amount of desktops and monitors being sent to them for recycling as businesses have been forced to invest in laptops and other mobile devices instead.”

Stone’s ITAD facility is WEEE compliant and has these accreditations: ISO 27001: Information Security Management, ADISA Distinction, DIPCOG and Cyber Essentials.

The Stone360 app is free to download and is available on both iOS and Android devices.