CIRCULARITY IN PRACTICE Monthly Industry Insight
AUGUST 2026
EXPO
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
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Circular Networks: How TXO and Virgin Media O2 Avoided 5,262 Tonnes of CO2e
Closing the Digital Divide: Why Business Has a Critical Role to Play
Rethinking the Technology Refresh: Turning Device Replacement Into a Strategic Value Opportunity
From Surplus IT to Social Impact: National Device Bank Reaches 100 Contributors
Introduction
Welcome to the August edition of Circularity in Practice This month’s stories show just how much opportunity exists when we rethink the way technology is bought, used, recovered and redeployed. From TXO and Virgin Media O2 demonstrating measurable carbon savings through long-term asset recovery and reuse, to schools finding smarter ways to manage technology refreshes, we are seeing circularity move beyond ambition and into practical, scalable action. We also look at the growing connection between circular technology and social value. Good Things Foundation’s National Device Bank has now reached 100 contributing organizations, while some of the UK’s biggest businesses are backing national efforts to tackle digital exclusion, proving that extending the life of technology can deliver benefits far beyond waste and carbon reduction. And with Circular Tech Expo now just eight weeks away, these are exactly the conversations we are looking forward to continuing in person. I hope you enjoy this month’s edition and, as always, find ideas worth taking back to your own organization. Laura Lawrance Head of marketing | Circular Tech Expo P.S. Join us at Circular Tech Expo, taking place at Farnborough International on October 13-14, 2026. We look forward to seeing you there.
LAURA LAWRANCE HEAD OF MARKETING | CIRCULAR TECH EXPO
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Circular Networks: How TXO and Virgin Media O2 Avoided 5,262 Tonnes of CO2e A decade-long partnership between TXO and Virgin Media O2 is showing what circularity can look like at scale. By recovering, refurbishing, reselling and responsibly recycling network equipment, the programme has avoided 5,262 tonnes of CO₂e emissions while keeping hundreds of tonnes of valuable equipment and materials in use.
What’s Happening Over the last 10 years, TXO has worked with Virgin Media O2 to extend the life of network equipment including switches, routers and line cards, using refurbishment, secondary-market procurement, resale and responsible recycling. According to TXO data released in August 2026, the partnership avoided 5,262 tonnes of CO₂e emissions. Of this, 4,575 tonnes came from refurbishing and returning network assets to the telecoms market, while 687 tonnes resulted from Virgin Media O2 sourcing equipment through the secondary market. The impact was measured using TXO’s Carbon Calculator, developed with the Carbon Trust and integrated into TXO’s i-TRAC platform. The tool shows carbon savings from refurbished purchases and surplus asset resale alongside financial value.
Why This Matters Telecommunications networks depend on large volumes of specialist equipment, but the carbon and material impact of those assets extends beyond their time in service. Manufacturing replacements carries an environmental cost, while retired assets may still hold technical and material value. The TXO and Virgin Media O2 programme demonstrates an alternative to a linear buy-use-replace model. Equipment with useful life can be tested, repaired, refurbished and returned to market. Where reuse is not viable, materials can be recovered through responsible recycling. Putting data behind these decisions quantifies avoided emissions alongside financial returns, supporting commercially and environmentally informed choices.
Circularity creates value when technology is treated as an asset to be managed, recovered and reused—not simply replaced 4
In Brief Measurable carbon savings The 5,262 tonnes of CO₂e avoided is equivalent, using the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, to taking more than 1,100 cars off the road for a year.
690 tonnes kept from landfill TXO has also recycled more than 690 tonnes of Virgin Media O2 end-of-life equipment, including cable, power packs, routers, switches and processor boards.
Keeping material value in the UK Steel, aluminium and copper account for almost 60% of the total recycled weight. Processing assets in the UK, including at TXO’s South Wales facility, helps retain more material value within the domestic economy.
The Bigger Picture Virgin Media O2 has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions across its operations, products and supply chain by the end of 2040. Extending the life of network hardware forms part of that wider approach to managing the full lifecycle. There is also a wider UK resourcesecurity context. The government’s Vision 2035 Critical Minerals Strategy sets an ambition for 20% of total annual UK demand for critical minerals to be met through recycling by 2035, alongside efforts to strengthen domestic processing and reduce dependence on concentrated international supply chains. Value can be created at every stage of the asset lifecycle: through better procurement, longer use, refurbishment, resale and, finally, responsible material recovery.
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Closing the Digital Divide: Why Business Has a Critical Role to Play Digital access is fundamental to everyday life, yet 1.6 million people in the UK remain offline. The Digital Inclusion Action Plan recognises that closing this divide cannot be achieved by public sector alone. One year on, commitments show what coordinated action can do.
In Brief Major businesses taking action Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone have supported over one million people across the digital divide. Google supports digital and AI skills training.
What’s Happening The UK’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan established a renewed national approach to ensuring people have the access, skills, support and confidence to participate in an increasingly digital society. Importantly, government brought industry into the strategy. Google, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, Three, BT, Openreach, Sky and CityFibre made commitments covering connectivity, affordability, skills, devices and community support. Good Things Foundation, Vodafone and Deloitte also worked with government on the IT Reuse for Good Charter. One year on, DSIT reports industry commitments have supported more than one million people.
Why This Matters Digital exclusion can affect far more than someone’s ability to browse the internet. Access to employment, education, banking, healthcare and public services increasingly depends on digital technology. The original Action Plan highlighted how those without suitable access can face higher costs, reduced employment opportunities and difficulty accessing essential services. For organisations, secure refurbishment and redistribution can keep viable technology in circulation, supporting people who otherwise may lack access while contributing to a more circular economy.
Reuse becomes part of the solution IT Reuse for Good Charter promotes a reuse-first approach. Signatories include organisations such as Currys, Virgin Media O2, VodafoneThree, BT, Deloitte, National Grid, Atos and the DVLA.
Thousands of devices redirected Government monitoring found around 22,200 devices donated by reporting Charter signatories: 19,300 phones and 2,900 laptops.
The Bigger Picture This is where the connection between circular technology and social value becomes powerful. Good Things Foundation helped develop the IT Reuse for Good Charter alongside government and industry, while its National Device Bank demonstrates what reuse can achieve. Now reaching 100 contributing organisations, it turns decommissioned corporate technology into access for people experiencing digital exclusion. The wider message to UK businesses is clear: responsible IT asset management does not have to end with resale or recycling. Where equipment remains suitable for reuse, its lifecycle can create value, helping people participate in education, employment, public services and an increasingly digital society.
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Rethinking the Technology Refresh: Turning Device Replacement Into a Strategic Value Opportunity For enterprise IT leaders managing a fleet of Apple devices, a technology refresh is about more than the next purchase order. Diamond Assets works with enterprise and education organizations on the buyback, resale and lifecycle management of Apple devices. When refresh planning, market timing and secure disposition are connected instead of treated as separate events, organizations can maximize the residual value of their fleet and reduce the risk that comes with retiring it.
What’s Happening Most organizations still treat a refresh as two separate events: purchasing new devices and retiring old ones, often on different timelines. The outgoing side—determining what a fleet is worth and how to responsibly disposition it—is frequently an afterthought. Deployment is one piece of a refresh, but value recovery and disposition deserve just as much planning. That gap has a cost. Devices lose value the longer a decision is delayed, and retired equipment holding sensitive company data represents ongoing exposure until it is securely processed. When an organization understands what its Apple fleet is worth before devices are retired, that value becomes part of the refresh budget instead of a number IT discovers after the fact.
Why This Matters Diamond Assets bases buyback estimates on current device specifications and real-time market data rather than applying a flat rate across an entire fleet. Organizations use its free CLARITY™ portal to watch projected values shift with market conditions and time resale around actual market value instead of an arbitrary replacement schedule. Once collected, each device is asset-tagged, inventoried and tracked through evaluation. Every device is erased to NIST 800-88 standards before grading, with certificates of data destruction available on request. CLARITY™, which connects to MDM platforms including Jamf, Mosyle and Iru, shows grading results, transaction summaries and photos, giving IT and finance teams visibility from estimate to payment. 6
In Brief Maximize residual value Apple device values shift as new generations launch and demand changes. Timing sales around market value, rather than waiting until retirement, helps capture more fleet value.
Secure the chain of custody Serialized reconciliation and NIST 800-88-aligned data erasure confirm every device was accounted for and securely wiped.
Get transparency, not a lump sum Knowing which devices were received, how each was graded and why, and how value was calculated creates an audit trail rather than delivering a lump-sum check.
The Bigger Picture A more circular approach to enterprise technology does not mean refreshing less often. It means designing the refresh around the full value of the fleet: understanding what devices are worth before retirement, timing the sale to the market and securing the exit as carefully as the purchase. As enterprise organizations face growing pressure to report on e-waste and sustainability alongside cost, a refresh built around the full lifecycle and transparency protects the organization while turning retired technology into funding for what comes next.
NOW NOW
100 100
THAT’S WHAT WE CALL DEVICE BANK CONTRIBUTORS
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
From Surplus IT to Social Impact: National Device Bank Reaches 100 Contributors
What if the next destination for retired corporate technology wasn’t storage, recycling or resale, but someone who currently has no suitable device at all? Good Things Foundation’s National Device Bank has now reached 100 contributing organisations, demonstrating how IT asset management can deliver environmental value and social impact at the same time.
What’s Happening The National Device Bank has welcomed its 100th contributor, Adur & Worthing Councils, marking another milestone for the Good Things Foundation programme tackling digital exclusion. The initiative has now impacted 40,000 lives, with organisations contributing decommissioned technology rather than leaving viable equipment unused or sending it prematurely for recycling. Exclusive technology partner Reconome manages collection, secure data erasure, refurbishment and preparation for redistribution. Devices are then provided through Good Things Foundation’s digital inclusion network.
Why This Matters For organisations managing large technology estates, decommissioning traditionally raises questions around data security, residual value, compliance, resale and recycling. But there is another potential outcome: reuse for social good. Not every retired corporate device is at the end of its useful life. Where equipment can be securely erased and refurbished, extending its life keeps usable technology in circulation while creating access for someone who may otherwise lack an appropriate device. Good Things Foundation’s Digital Nation research found that 1.6 million UK adults lack access to a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Device reuse can therefore support both digital inclusion and environmental goals.
A decommissioned device may have reached the end of its corporate life without reaching the end of its useful life
In Brief 100 organisations contributing Adur & Worthing Councils is the 100th organisation to contribute technology to the National Device Bank.
40,000 lives impacted Good Things Foundation says the programme has now impacted 40,000 lives by helping make suitable digital devices available to people who may otherwise struggle to access them.
85,000 devices by 2029 Good Things Foundation and Reconome have committed to providing 85,000 devices to digitally excluded people across the UK by June 2029, significantly increasing the scale of the programme.
The Bigger Picture The milestone comes a year after the launch of the IT Reuse for Good Charter, developed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Good Things Foundation, VodafoneThree and Deloitte. The Charter asks businesses and public bodies to adopt a ‘reuse first’ approach, including securely refurbishing and donating suitable devices to people experiencing digital exclusion. It also asks signatories to measure and report this environmental and social impact. Circular IT is often measured through carbon, waste or financial recovery. The National Device Bank demonstrates another form of retained value: the social value.
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