Three quarters of companies dispose of obsolete IT equipment properly

German companies largely deal responsibly with obsolete IT equipment: 74 percent dispose of functional hardware properly. This is according to a representative survey by the industry association Bitkom. Only one percent throw the devices into commercial waste.

The survey of 603 companies with 20 or more employees (conducted in calendar weeks 39 to 44 of 2025) shows that companies use different methods of recycling. 33 percent of respondents donate obsolete laptops, servers, or monitors to schools, youth projects, or other non-profit organizations. 23 percent sell the devices discounted to their employees.

Return and Storage as Common Practice

28 percent of companies return their IT hardware to leasing companies, which then take care of refurbishment and further recycling. 18 percent give devices directly to employees as gifts, while 12 percent sell them to specialized second-hand dealers. 15 percent store functional old equipment to use as replacements in case of failures, supply bottlenecks, or crises. Four percent sell to other third parties.

“Keeping devices in use for longer makes an active contribution to environmental protection and also reduces dependencies in supply chains,” explains Bitkom CEO Dr. Bernhard Rohleder. Longer use saves raw materials and energy, although the association does not provide specific figures on the environmental impact.

Proper Disposal According to ElektroG

According to Bitkom, disposal is considered proper if it complies with the requirements of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG), which implements the EU WEEE Directive in Germany. This includes environmentally compatible recycling through certified systems such as Stiftung ear, professional data deletion, and the avoidance of illegal exports. In practice, companies combine different methods, as the current survey also shows.

With an electrical equipment recycling rate of 85.5 percent, Germany is above the EU average of 80.7 percent – at least according to a survey by Statista with data from 2022. The ElektroG obliges manufacturers to bear the costs of disposal, while individual take-back agreements are common in the B2B sector.

(fo)