scte PRESENTS
cannibalisation within manufacturers. “There’s a misconception that circular models will take away from primary sales — it’s just not true,” she said. Bullett added that cultural factors also play a role. “There’s a vanity element,” he said. “People want the latest devices, even if they don’t need them.” The panel suggested that incremental improvements will not be enough to address the scale of the challenge. Van Dyke called for greater standardisation in technology design to enable reuse and reduce waste. “We need to think much harder about how we use the materials we already have,” she said. “The current trajectory is not sustainable.” Daly concluded that much of the solution lies within industry control, from procurement decisions to operational practices. “Everything you’ve heard today makes good business sense,” he said. “It’s about operational efficiency, cost savings and making better use of what we already have.”
The panel also explored the growing tension between AI-driven demand and infrastructure capacity.
cycles and more durable designs. “Seven to eight years of updates is now standard. You don’t need to replace devices as often as people think.”
Kristan Bullett warned that energy consumption and resource use are rising rapidly, often without sufficient
From a network infrastructure perspective,
Sandie Brodier Global Strategic Partnerships Director, Rincon Technology said
oversight: “Cloud computing has already surpassed one billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent,” he said. “We’re moving too fast – we’re going to break these systems.” He argued that better measurement and accountability are needed, particularly around energy use and efficiency. “What is not measured cannot be improved,” he said. “We need to understand the true cost of our technology footprint.” Despite clear economic and environmental benefits, the panel agreed that adoption of circular models remains uneven. Whitehouse pointed to ingrained procurement habits and concerns over data security as key barriers, while D’Arcy highlighted fears of revenue
circular models are increasingly being driven by operational needs as much as sustainability goals. “People originally came to us to reduce capex and save time,” she said. “Now it’s also about supply chain resilience.” With lead times for new equipment stretching to nearly a year in some cases, refurbished and surplus hardware is becoming a critical alternative.“If you’re waiting 50 weeks for equipment, you’re losing the AI race,” she said. Brodier added that organisations are often sitting on valuable unused assets: “You could be sitting on a goldmine. Monetising surplus equipment can fund next-generation infrastructure.”
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