True circularity in IT is all about creating systems and solutions that keep products and materials in use for as long as possible. This is where TCO Certified plays a key role, accelerating the shift toward circular IT through mandatory criteria, independent verification, and practical tools for both buyers and manufacturers. Andreas Nobell, the driving force behind TCO Certified’s circularity criteria, shares his views.
A broader life cycle perspective
For Andreas, circularity is about far more than product durability – it’s about building whole systems that keep products and materials in use for as long as possible. In an ideal circular world, there is no end-of-life: products are repaired, reused, and recovered, their materials recycled into new products. While that ideal may be out of reach, every step in the right direction counts. As Andreas puts it: “When products and materials don’t just last longer, but are actually used longer, we move toward closing the circularity loop.”
To help steer purchasers and manufacturers toward longer product and material life cycles, TCO Certified’s mandatory circularity criteria are updated and expanded on a regular basis. The latest generation is designed to enable at least five years of supported product lifetime, through a five-year minimum available warranty model, as well as free-of-charge security and corrective software updates. The target is to extend this to ten years by 2033.
However, products that are built to last are still being discarded too soon. Purchasers need to do their part by planning for longer use and ensuring routines are in place for repair, reuse and recovery. TCO Certified supports this through criteria, tools, and guidance, including some of the latest generation’s most concrete developments: an independently verified repairability index, a requirement for unique product identifiers, and stricter e-waste criteria.
A repairability index with independent verification
A key tool for extending product life is TCO Certified’s repairability index, now available in our Product Finder. Covering notebooks, tablets, and smartphones, it rates how easily a product can be repaired.
Unlike similar indexes in France and the EU, the score is independently verified rather than self-declared by the brand. This helps purchasers avoid greenwashing, compare models, and identify the most repairable products on the market.
Unique product identifiers for greater transparency
2027 will see the introduction of Digital Product Passports (DPPs). These will provide key sustainability data about a product, including materials, components, repair guides, access to spare parts, and disposal recommendations.
In addition to increasing overall transparency and environmental data quality, DPPs will help users identify products with lower climate impact and use them longer. Here, TCO Certified is already helping lay the groundwork; its latest generation requires products to be marked with a unique product identifier, an essential part of the DPP.
Tackling the e-waste crisis
E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, with only 22% documented as having been recycled. Where the rest goes is unknown – only that some of it is illegally exported to developing countries.
The latest version of TCO Certified tackles this issue through criteria that support the expansion of global take-back schemes, and encourage working with reputable recyclers and refurbishers. “Instead of going straight to recycling, products are given a second life,” says Andreas.
To help further improve recycling rates, the supplemental certification TCO Certified Edge includes an E-waste Compensated criterion. For every product manufactured, the brand owner must collect a certain amount of e-waste in a country where it isn’t handled responsibly, and recycle it in line with local legislation and relevant EU standards/regulations.
A comprehensive approach
TCO Certified’s overall circularity criteria are designed to take a broad view of product longevity and responsible use, from manufacturing to disposal. Some examples:
- Built to last: Products must pass durability and extreme temperature tests to ensure they are designed for a longer life.
- Battery longevity and replaceability: Batteries must maintain good quality through many charging cycles and be replaceable using common tools, or free tools provided with the product.
- Replaceable components: Service manuals explaining how to carry out component replacements must be provided free of charge.
- Secure data removal: To ensure safe reuse and handover, software for removing data from devices must be available free of charge.
Making sustainability onboarding easier
Knowing that sustainability is a complex issue, TCO Certified is all about providing the support needed to make onboarding easier throughout the IT supply chain. One example is the knowledge network Circular Electronics Initiative – of which Andreas Nobell is a co-founder – where member organizations can share best practices on how to drive circularity forward.
And for buyers ready to take their first steps toward more sustainable IT procurement, quick onboarding and more comprehensive step-by-step guidance for using TCO Certified is available on our How to use page.
Check out our roadmap
Circularity is one of four focus areas highlighted in the Roadmap for Sustainable IT – a concrete outline of TCO Certified’s present and future sustainability efforts, including clear, definable goals that address both current and long-term issues. The other three focus areas in the roadmap are climate, substances, and supply chain.
