Stone Group awarded to Higher Education national framework for IT equipment reuse, recycling & disposal
Leading circular IT provider, Stone Group has been awarded on to a national framework for the provision of IT equipment reuse, recycling, and disposal to help all universities in the UK to responsibly manage their redundant IT hardware assets.
The framework was awarded by the North Western University Purchasing Consortium (NWUPC) on behalf of all UK regional consortia that put supplier agreements in place for HE organisations looking to procure goods or services from fully vetted and accredited ITAD suppliers. Stone Group are the highest scoring supplier on this framework.
Unlike many ITAD providers, Stone Group is Valpak certified for sending Zero Waste to Landfill. IT equipment, including laptops, monitors, printers, and servers that universities in the region no longer want, is collected by Stone Group and taken to its ITAD facility. Its team of engineers then assess the items and any that can be given a second life are refurbished, and the rest are broken down to their core components and recycled, ensuring no electronic waste (e-waste) ends up in landfill.
All universities and higher education establishments under this framework can now work with Stone Group to arrange and manage their IT hardware collections in just a few easy clicks via the award-winning Stone360 app. Users of the app receive rebates for their unwanted equipment which they can cash in or use to purchase new or refurbished IT from Stone. Trees are also planted by the circular IT provider in exchange for the items they collect from universities and app users can watch their virtual woodland grow as they recycle more unwanted items.
E-waste is one of the biggest growing waste streams in the world and according to statistics from the Global E-Waste Monitor, 82.6% of discarded electrical waste items are undocumented, either being sent to landfill, incinerated, hoarded, or illegally traded. Stone Group’s award to this framework will enable universities throughout the UK to make a more sustainable choice when it come to the end of life of their IT assets and help fight against this problem.
Tim Westbrook, director at Stone Group said: “We have been looking after the IT asset disposal needs of the public sectors organisations from schools to hospitals for many years. There are many firms that offer ITAD services, but we are one of very few fully accredited providers, committed to ensuring zero waste ends up in landfill and making the process easy and entirely transparent for our customers.
“It’s fantastic to be able to kick off the new year, announcing that we have been successfully awarded to this prestigious framework and offer universities a more sustainable approach to the management of their redundant IT assets.”
David Yates, Category Manager at NWUPC said: “Stone Group is a very welcome addition to this framework and its commitment to responsible e-waste disposal will be extremely well received by the HE sector who want to ensure they are doing as much as possible to protect our planet.”
Stone Group has a dedicated ITAD facility in Staffordshire. Following collection of e-waste from a customer, Stone’s team of skilled engineers securely process and wipe all items of any data using industry-leading software from Blancco. The facility is fully accredited with certifications including ISP 27001: Information Security Management, ADISA with Distinction, DIPCOG and Cyber Essentials.
Stone Group also supports the HE sector on a number of other national frameworks. It is First Ranked on Lots 1 (Desktops) & 3 (One Stop Shop) of the National Desktop & Notebook Agreement (NDNA), and, has also been awarded on to the HE Networking Supply & Services (HENSS) framework.
