The shift toward truly circular processes for IT sets high demands on manufacturers and buyers alike. Here, TCO Certified plays a key role – not just in setting and enforcing new industry standards, but also in providing guidance and encouraging knowledge sharing. Andreas Nobell – a passionate advocate for the circularity movement, and the driving force behind TCO Certified’s recently updated circular criteria – shares his take on what IT circularity really means.
Leveling the playing field for circularity
In the strive toward longer product lifecycles, Andreas Nobell emphasizes the importance of both manufacturer and user responsibility. He sees circularity as a much larger issue than product durability; rather, it’s about creating whole systems that support repair, reuse, and responsible end-of-life management.
To help steer purchasers and manufacturers toward product longevity, TCO Certified has an entire chapter in the criteria documents dedicated to circularity, titled Product Lifetime Extension. All criteria are mandatory, with compliance checked for every product.
“Since none of our criteria are optional, circularity becomes ingrained into the business operations of brands with certified products,” says Andreas. “This helps ensure a level playing field for the industry.”
Longer lifespans – and new tools for getting there
A cornerstone of circularity is extending the lifespan of IT products. The latest generation of TCO Certified criteria requires a five-year minimum lifespan, including warranties and software updates. Five years may sound ambitious, but according to Andreas, they’re just getting started. “We aim for ten years by 2033,” he says. “When products last longer, we get closer to closing the circularity loop.”
For buyers, longevity means not just purchasing durable products, but ensuring they are used for as long as possible. To support more circular IT procurement, the new generation of TCO Certified introduces two groundbreaking tools: a repairability index, and a unique product identifier.
- The repairability index for mobile devices specifies how easily a product can be repaired. While similar ratings already exist in France and the EU, TCO Certified’s version goes further by independently verifying repairability claims, making it a more reliable benchmark for buyers and brands alike.
- Requiring certified products to be marked with a unique product identifier is a vital step toward the introduction of digital product passports in 2027. These will provide key information about a product — materials, components, repair guides, and where to find spare parts — thus helping users to maintain their products longer and more effectively.
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 generation of TCO Certified tackles this issue through new 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.
Raising the bar – and lowering thresholds
Circularity is one of four focus areas highlighted in the recently updated Roadmap for Sustainable IT, outlining TCO Certified’s present and future efforts toward more sustainable manufacturing and use of IT equipment. While ambitious, the Roadmap is also markedly concrete, with clear, definable goals that address both current and long-term sustainability issues.
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.
