Circular IT and reuse of equipment
Vattenfall has a long-term partnership with IT recycling companies Inrego and AFB to optimise reuse and recycling of IT equipment.
Increasing the reuse and recycling of IT equipment has been a key focus for many years. Today, we collect all mobile phones, laptops and desktops for reuse and refurbishment.
Some of our laptops used in highly sensitive environments are not yet available for reuse and refurbishment, but work is ongoing to start this process.
Since 2020, Vattenfall has collaborated with Inrego to optimise the reuse of IT equipment. In 2024, 6,200 products were sent to our partner for reuse from our offices in Sweden, Poland, Denmark, and the UK.
This has generated CO2 savings of approximately 720 tonnes, as calculated by the research centre IVL (the Swedish Environmental Institute) using its science-based model. In Germany, AFB is our partner taking back IT equipment and reusing it. In 2024, 4,850 items of IT and mobile equipment were processed, resulting in CO2 savings of 725 tonnes. These savings were calculated by TU Berlin, myclimate and Star Cooperation.
Reusing IT products reduces the need to extract primary natural resources. Following thorough data destruction, hardware testing, procurement of spare parts, repairs, upgrades and cleaning, AFB successfully reused 85% of the equipment in 2024, while Inrego reused 79%. Any remaining items were professionally recycled to ensure sustainable resource management.
More about circularity
The transition to a circular economy is an opportunity, and renewable energy is an important piece of the puzzle in driving the circular economy forward.
Transform to a more circular business
Circularity is essential to securing future resource needs, reducing costs, and achieving our sustainability targets.
See also
Reused bricks in new substation
Using reclaimed bricks for substation buildings reduced the carbon footprint by over 90%, enhancing sustainability in a power grid project.
Pilot project: reusing secondary substation buildings
As part of our efforts to reduce environmental impact, Vattenfall Eldistribution will test circular construction and reuse of existing secondary substation buildings.
Vattenfall‘s circular approach for office renovations
Vattenfall maximised the reuse of existing materials when renovating the office in Arnhem.