Australasia's e-waste problem: What can your organisation do?

New Zealand is one of the largest producers of e-waste globally. Each year, New Zealand generates 19.5 kg of e-waste per capita – around 100,000 tonnes in total – which is almost triple the global rate of 7.3 kg per capita. In 2019, Australia generated over 500,000 tonnes of e-waste, equivalent to 21.9 kg per capita. And the problem is getting worse - by 2030, it’s projected to rise by nearly 30% across ANZ.

This waste is predominantly generated by large corporate users of technology who dispose of their unwanted, unused, or outdated devices, with much of this ending up in landfill.

Mandatory climate-related disclosures, which took effect in 2023 for New Zealand and 2025 for Australia, means many large publicly listed organisations are required to account for their direct and indirect emissions. This includes Scope 3 emissions, those that result from activities involving assets not owned or controlled by the business but that indirectly impact its value chain. Emissions across the full lifecycle of IT assets, from manufacture to disposal, fall into this category.

Slashing this waste and minimising the associated operational costs while recovering valuable resources and meeting climate-related disclosure requirements are possibilities for your business with the right processes in place.

The environmental impacts of your IT equipment

IT equipment in large organisations generates substantial environmental impact throughout its lifecycle. Energy consumption from data centres, servers, and devices contribute to carbon emissions, while rapid tech replacement cycles create significant volumes of e-waste.

Some of the negative impacts of incorrectly disposing of e-waste include:

• Risk of toxic contamination: e-waste contains hazardous materials like lead, mercury, and cadmium that can leach into soil and groundwater and cause risks to human and environmental health.
• Resource wastage: e-waste sent to landfill means valuable materials like gold, silver, copper, and rare earth elements are lost.

What contributes the most carbon emissions?

Taking a total lifecycle approach is necessary when considering the carbon emissions of IT devices, with a carbon footprint made up of three main phases: manufacturing (embodied carbon), energy consumption during use (operational carbon), and end-of-life processing.

Manufacturing processes account for a significant portion of carbon emissions, particularly for smaller devices like smartphones and tablets. For these products, up to 80% of lifetime carbon emissions may occur before the device ever reaches a user's hands, which underscores the importance of extending the useful life of electronics through repair and refurbishment strategies.

Data centres, servers, devices, and AI applications are some of the major contributors of carbon emissions in a corporate setting. According to the International Energy Agency, data centres and transmission networks are responsible for more than 1% of global energy use, and 0.6% of global carbon emissions. A recent McKinsey report states that by 2030 the power consumption of AI applications in the US will rise from 4% to 12% of the country's total power demand.

How the Quadrent Green Lease solves the e-waste problem

Smart organisations are responding to the e-waste challenge by pursuing sustainability strategies for their technology needs. The Quadrent Green Lease offers both financial and environmental benefits. 

Like other forms of operating leases, the Quadrent Green Lease reduces upfront costs, allowing business to retain working capital and deliver predictable payments. This solution delivers flexibility and scalability to meet changing business needs while baking in end-of-life product management that meets ESG requirements and commitments.

Through the Quadrent Green Lease, up to 20% of returned technology devices can be donated to digital inclusion initiatives that improve digital equity for young New Zealanders and Australians in need, transforming potential waste into meaningful social impact.

Responsible disposal of your e-waste can reduce your organisation's carbon footprint and put critical learning devices
into the hands of students in need to improve their educational outcomes.

Boost your ESG reporting capabilities

As sustainability regulations evolve, Climate Reporting Entities (CREs) face the challenge of how to manage and report complex Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

CREs require a comprehensive and reliable way to track, report, and reduce Scope 3 emissions, while ensuring transparency and compliance with the stringent standards required for their Climate Disclosure Statements.

The Quadrent Green Lease can empower organisations to reduce their environmental footprint and simplify sustainability reporting. By leasing your mobile phone and laptop fleet through Quadrent, every step from acquisition, use, and disposal is managed with sustainability in mind.

Quadrent provides R2v3 compliant Scope 3 reporting for all devices at the end of the lease, including:

• Emissions on individual assets - detailed, actionable asset-level emissions data, including energy efficiency to support strategic decision-making and assessment of climate-related risks and opportunities.
• Emissions avoided from landfill - a comprehensive view of climate impact and efforts towards sustainability with detailed e-waste, recycling, digital inclusion donation, and avoided emissions metrics for transparency.

These reports can be used directly in Climate Disclosure Statements so your resources aren't tied up in complex analysis and reporting manually. This approach gives procurement teams the demonstrable ESG credentials that modern tender processes demand. The Quadrent Green Lease helps you meet immediate technology needs and lays the foundation for long‑term, ethical business practices. With specialised accounting and leasing expertise, Quadrent can help you extract the maximum value from your assets while staying ahead of evolving sustainability requirements and reporting expectations.

Learn how a Quadrent Green Lease can reduce your IT costs, keep e-waste out of landfills, and support the communities you operate in, and download the Quadrent Green Lease guide for more.