Device as a Service is more sustainable than buying devices if two things are true: the devices are used for long enough, and after they're returned they get a second life instead of ending up in the shredder or straight in recycling.
For laptops and smartphones, most emissions come from manufacturing. A Device as a Service provider like Everphone therefore improves the footprint mainly through reuse.
That's why renting isn't automatically green. A provider that swaps laptops after two years and scraps the old ones does worse than a company that uses the devices it bought for six years.
For laptops, the potential benefit is especially large, because no EU repair obligations apply to them yet. You'll find the general comparison in DaaS vs. buying devices: a sustainability comparison.
Why manufacturing determines a laptop's carbon footprint
For a notebook, manufacturing causes more greenhouse gas emissions than operation. A study by Öko-Institut and Fraunhofer IZM for Germany's Federal Environment Agency (UBA) puts the total at around 380 kg of CO₂ equivalent over five years of use. About 55 percent of that comes from manufacturing, 36 percent from electricity use.
That leads to an uncomfortable calculation. According to the same study, a new model that uses ten percent less electricity only offsets its manufacturing after decades. So a more efficient laptop doesn't save the footprint. One that's used for longer does.
In practice, this means: the biggest lever isn't the model you order. It's the total number of years a device stays in use, across all its users.
How much longer use saves: a worked example
The UBA recommends a minimum service life of six years for workplace computers, notebooks included. According to the UBA and Öko-Institut, if a public authority extends the use of a notebook from three to six years, emissions fall by approx. 390 kg CO₂e per workstation over ten years. That's around 28 percent.
Applied to a company:
| Scenario | 100 notebook workstations, ten years |
|---|---|
| Replaced every three years, old devices scrapped | Baseline |
| Each device in use for six years (one or two users) | approx. 39 t CO₂e less |
The calculation simply scales up the UBA figure. It shows the order of magnitude, not your exact footprint.
Whether those six years happen at one company or are split across two matters little for the climate. What matters is that the device isn't sitting in a drawer after three years.
Device as a Service vs. buying devices from a sustainability perspective
When you buy, each company decides alone what happens to its old devices. Often that means a collection box in the storeroom and, eventually, disposal.
According to the UN's Global E-waste Monitor, the world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, and only 22.3 percent of it was documented as collected and recycled.
With Device as a Service, the devices go back to the provider, for example Everphone. The provider has a commercial interest in refurbishing and remarketing them. (We do, and we act on it.)
That very interest is what makes the model sustainable.
| Question | Buying devices | Device as a Service |
|---|---|---|
| Who takes care of the device after use? | Your IT, often without a fixed process | The provider, as part of the contract |
| Data wiping | Self-organised, often by removing and shredding the SSD | Certified wiping, the device stays usable |
| Second life | Only if someone organises resale or donation | Refurbishment and remarketing are built in |
| Defective devices | Repairing single devices rarely pays off | Replacement, repair at scale |
| Surplus devices | Stay in inventory | Go back into the pool |
For comparison: in 2024, Everphone refurbished a full 99 percent of returned smartphones and tablets. Only devices beyond repair go to professional recycling.
Why the circular loop matters more for laptops than for smartphones
For smartphones and tablets, the EU has stepped up. Since June 20, 2025, the Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 has applied.
Manufacturers must be able to supply spare parts such as batteries and displays for up to seven years after a model is discontinued. The EU directive on the right to repair also names smartphones and tablets.
There are no comparable repair obligations for laptops yet. The UBA doesn't list them among the product groups with repairability requirements. Whether a laptop gets repaired or replaced after three years still depends on who looks after it.
This is where a service provider has the edge. A single company rarely repairs a laptop with a broken keyboard, because it doesn't pay off for one device. Anyone refurbishing thousands of devices has the spare parts in stock and buyers for the second life.
Refurbished laptops: how much a second life saves
A refurbished laptop avoids 43 to 97 percent of a new device's annual environmental impact, depending on the impact category. That's the finding of a study by ADEME, the French environment agency. For smartphones, the range is 64 to 87 percent.
The same study also shows how much refurbishers differ: by up to a factor of eleven. It makes a difference how many parts are replaced, how far the devices travel and how long they're used in their second life. Refurbishment isn't an end in itself. It's a question of quality.
Workplace as a Service and sustainability
Workplace as a Service applies Device as a Service to laptops, PCs and accessories. The same logic applies to sustainability, just with more weight per device: a laptop has a much larger manufacturing footprint than a smartphone.
One effect is often overlooked. When smartphones and laptops run through one provider, there's one return process for everything. When employees leave, both devices come back, get wiped and go back into the loop. With separate suppliers, there are two processes, and a device can get stuck in either one.
How to spot a sustainable Device as a Service provider
Don't ask whether a provider is "sustainable". Ask what happens to the devices after your contract. These questions separate substance from marketing:
- What is the refurbishment rate, broken down by smartphones and laptops?
- Is data wiped with certification so the device can be reused?
- Are defective devices repaired, or replaced right away and scrapped?
- Where do the devices go in their second life, and how long do they stay in use?
- Are there figures for your own sustainability reporting?
Everphone has been part of the UN Global Compact since 2021 and has held an EcoVadis silver medal every year since 2023. The latest figures are in the sustainability report on the page sustainability at Everphone.
Who Device as a Service pays off for environmentally
The company that gains most is one that currently replaces devices after three to four years and has no fixed process for old devices. That's the norm. Here, Device as a Service delivers the second life nobody else organises.
A company that already uses its laptops for six years and then resells or donates them itself gains little. The environmental difference is modest. The benefit then lies more in less effort and predictable costs.
Our recommendation: look at how many devices are sitting in your storeroom and what happened to your last 50 returns. If you don't know, Device as a Service is a good next step.
Frequently asked questions
Are refurbished devices good enough for business use?
Yes, if they're refurbished professionally. That includes certified data wiping and replacing worn parts such as batteries. At Everphone, damaged devices are also replaced as part of the service.
Is leasing as sustainable as Device as a Service?
Not automatically. With leasing, the devices go back to the lessor at the end. What happens then is up to them. Leasing is financing, not a service around the device. So here, too, ask about the refurbishment rate and wiping process.
What happens to devices that can no longer be repaired?
They go to professional recycling, where as much of the raw material as possible is recovered. At Everphone, according to its figures for 2024, this applies to around one percent of returned smartphones and tablets.
Can I use the savings from my rented devices in my sustainability report?
Yes. Everphone automatically provides customers with concrete figures for their own ESG and CSRD reporting.
Is a more energy-efficient new laptop better for the climate?
Almost never. According to a study for Germany's Federal Environment Agency, a notebook that uses ten percent less electricity only offsets its manufacturing after decades. Using a working device for longer, or passing it on, is far better.