How To Turn a Cultural Phenomenon Into a Sustainable Business Model
The 3 Rs are ubiquitous, but might need revising | Technology has its price | Sustainable ITAD is the answer
What comes to mind when you see the recycling symbol? If you’re like me, the old sing-song triad of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” comes to mind. In fact, in just reading those words, you immediately know what I’m talking about, right? That’s because the 3 Rs of sustainability are as common in our culture as any other 20th century idiom. And that’s why we adopted it for our name back in 2003.
Why Technology?
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and with CEO Glen Gaidos, this is certainly the case. The inception of 3R Technology came from the need to find a responsible way to handle the ongoing stream of electronics Glen had amassed from his tech-repair business. Seeing the challenges that technology creates, he decided to get serious about sustainability.
Technology is truly a Pandora’s box with regard to our ecological woes. Mining of rare-earth materials used to create our devices, water spent in manufacturing, emissions from shipping, packaging waste, energy usage, and eventually the disposal; technology is arguably humanity’s both greatest and most damaging creation—even worse than plastic.
This double-edged sword of technology does have its benefits, of course. You’re using technology to read this post, after all. Clearly, connecting the world, advancing medicine and saving lives, shaping our understanding of the universe, sharing ideas virtually, and providing a lifeline during a global lockdown are just a few of the reasons we collectively accept the immense ecological burden these devices create.
But there still needs to be a way to reduce the impact these devices have on our planet. Or maybe a way to reuse these devices so they don’t wind up in the landfill so soon? Choosing to recycle these gadgets that would otherwise ruin the environment should be a clear option. How do we know what the right solution is? Read on, you might be surprised.
Carving Out Solutions with Occam’s Razor
Sometimes, the best solution to a problem is whittling it down to the simplest solution, Occam style. The same came to be true for 3R Technology. By addressing the disposition of technology, and focusing on large businesses’ IT assets, the greatest good can be done to reduce the effects of technology on our planet.
We do this through our 5 pillars of ITAD:
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- Data Security
- Asset Recovery & Surplus Resale
- e-Waste Recycling & Proprietary Destruction
- Logistics (Onsite Bins Program or SimplEcycle Mail-In Program)
- Philanthropy (Make IT Count)
Each of these addresses one of the roadblocks to responsible recycling. For instance, data security is a huge concern for many businesses and individuals—which is why you probably have a few devices squirreled away in a drawer or closet right now. And philanthropy is a great way to give your devices a good home rather than a ticket to the trash pile.
By solving pain points along the journey of sustainable IT Asset Disposition, we’ve created a concise and affordable solution to your company’s ITAD concerns. The upstream damage done to our planet by technology is unavoidable with devices you already own, but we can eliminate the downstream damage you would be responsible for by sustainably handling your devices at their end of life.
So, consider revising your idea of the 3 Rs with your IT assets or home electronic devices by calling on 3R Technology when you’re finished with them. Taking the Rs in this new way means you: REDUCE your consumption of new items by using your devices longer, REUSE older devices by donating them through our Make IT Count program, and RECYCLE end-of-life devices with our secure processing. For more information on our processes, click on over to our Services page, here.