IT buyers often tell us they want new notebooks because new models use much less power and are therefore more sustainable.
That is true, and still wrong. You cut the carbon footprint of IT devices most by using them longer and buying new ones less often. For laptops and smartphones, most of the emissions come from manufacturing, not from operation.
After a company device has been used, it can be passed on, refurbished and repaired. A device-as-a-service provider like Everphone takes care of that as part of the contract.
In many IT departments, things still work differently. Devices are replaced after three years because the lease or the depreciation schedule says so. Every new purchase means emissions. A more efficient model, for example a laptop with lower power consumption, does not make up for the swap.
Anyone who wants to shrink the footprint of their devices should therefore start with the procurement cycle and the return process, and only then look at power-saving mode and screen brightness. To put numbers on it: lower screen brightness and active energy-saving settings cut the annual power consumption of a Lenovo ThinkPad E14 in everyday office use by around 40% to 55% (about 14 kWh per year).
Manufacturing a new laptop causes around 120 to 250 kg of CO₂e, which is 25 to 50 times the amount an efficient device can save in a whole year of operation. Even if an older laptop uses twice as much power as a new model, it would take decades for the savings in operation to offset the emissions of producing the new one.
Where the carbon footprint of IT devices comes from
For notebooks and smartphones, most of the emissions arise during manufacturing, above all in chips, memory and display. Power consumption in operation is the smaller item. The German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) therefore recommends a service life of at least six years for computers in office administration.
The exact share varies by study and device. For your planning, the direction is enough: every device you do not buy new saves the biggest single item.
How this breaks down for laptops in detail is covered in How sustainable is device as a service?.
Lever 1: use devices longer
A notebook that stays in use for six years instead of three halves the number of new purchases. This is the most effective lever and the cheapest, because you do not have to buy anything.
An example: with 100 notebooks replaced every three years, you buy around 33 devices a year. With six years of use, it is around 17. The German Environment Agency puts the saving from extending use from three to six years at about 390 kg of CO₂e per workstation over ten years. Extrapolated to 100 workstations, that is around 39 tonnes. Take it as an order of magnitude.
For smartphones, the EU ecodesign regulation for smartphones and tablets has helped since June 20, 2025. It requires batteries that keep 80 percent of their capacity after at least 800 charge cycles, and spare parts for up to seven years after the end of sales. For laptops there are no such rules yet, so you have to set the service life yourself.
With device as a service from Everphone, you outsource not only the to-dos for procurement and operation, but also collection, refurbishment and reuse.
That means when your team gets a new generation of laptops or smartphones, the old devices do not end up in a storeroom where they age unused. Everphone systematically collects them, refurbishes them and puts them back on the market.
Lever 2: pass devices on internally
A laptop that sits in an IT storeroom after someone leaves has already caused its emissions. Handing it to the next new employee saves the new purchase and with it most of the emissions.
You need two things for this: a record of who has which device, and a fixed return route. How to set up both without a spreadsheet is described in Automating device return in offboarding. And because a device that is passed on must be wiped cleanly, certified data erasure on return is part of the process.
Lever 3: buy refurbished devices
A refurbished device replaces a new one and avoids its manufacturing. For most office workstations the performance is enough: email, office software, video calls, browser.
Refurbished devices are not suitable if you need models the manufacturer no longer supplies with security updates. When buying, check the update period and the battery health. What matters for company phones is covered in Are refurbished company phones good enough for business?.
Lever 4: repair instead of replace
A battery swap or a new display costs less than a new device and makes buying one unnecessary. For smartphones, the EU rules have made this easier. For laptops, it depends on the model.
Decide before procurement which repairs you allow. A rule of thumb that works in many companies: batteries and displays are replaced, and for mainboard damage you decide case by case. If you do not want to organise repairs yourself, they are usually part of the service when you rent. At Everphone, replacing damaged devices is included in the service. We replace defective smartphones with new ones within 1 to 2 days. Repair and reuse of the old device follow afterwards.
Lever 5: return devices at the end instead of disposing of them
According to the UN's Global E-waste Monitor, around 62 million tonnes of e-waste were generated worldwide in 2022, and only 22.3 percent of it was documented as collected and recycled. A device that ends up in a collection bin after use is lost to the cycle.
The better route is a fixed take-back partner that refurbishes devices and puts them back on the market. By its own account, Everphone repaired and returned to use 99 percent of the smartphones and tablets sent back in 2024. Only devices that cannot be repaired go to recycling. The whole process from return to second life is shown in Implementing a circular economy for IT hardware.
How to measure the footprint of your IT devices
For reporting, you include purchased hardware in scope 3 under the GHG Protocol, either as "purchased goods and services" or as "capital goods", depending on how you account for it. The standard prefers manufacturer data over averages.
In practice, this means: ask for the model's product carbon footprint when you buy. Large manufacturers such as Dell publish it for each product. You only need to convert the value to years of use when you compare devices that run for different lengths of time. A spend-based estimate in euros per device, on the other hand, is rough and does not capture longer use at all.
Where to start
Start with levers 1 and 2, because both cost nothing. Set the minimum service life for laptops to six years and for smartphones to the model's update period. Then check how many devices are sitting unused in storage.
The conversation with the finance team is the harder part, because depreciation and lease cycles often dictate the service life. If that applies to you, take a look at renting laptops instead of buying, because with DaaS rental the replacement cycle is not tied to the balance sheet.
Frequently asked questions
How much CO₂ does a company laptop cause?
It depends on the model. For notebooks, most of the emissions arise during manufacturing. The exact value is given by the manufacturer's product carbon footprint, which you can request when you buy.
Is an energy-efficient device better for the climate than an old one?
Rarely. A new model with lower consumption first has to make up for its manufacturing over several years. As long as the old device runs securely and gets updates, continuing to use it is usually the better choice.
How long should company laptops be used?
The German Environment Agency recommends at least six years for computers in office administration. It does not have to be the same person: a device can be refurbished after three years and used on by someone else.
Does rented equipment count in my scope 3 accounting?
Rented devices also cause emissions that you have to report. The category differs from purchased devices, though, and depends on how you account for the rental. Clarify this with your sustainability or finance team before you set up reporting.