ESG-led IT retirement: avoided emissions, audit-ready.
Sustainability teams increasingly own a slice of IT-asset disposition decisions. The shift: refurbish-and-remarket beats destruction-only on avoided embodied-carbon, by a meaningful margin. Per-job ESG appendix gives your Scope-3 disclosure file the data it needs.
The embodied-carbon math.
A new enterprise server's embodied-carbon footprint — the manufacturing + transport + first-use emissions baked in by the time it ships — typically exceeds its in-service operational emissions over a 3-5 year life. So when an old server is destroyed and replaced with a new one, the embodied-carbon penalty of the new server dominates the lifecycle math.
Refurbish-and-remarket avoids that penalty for the new owner. The refurbished server takes the place of a new server that wasn't manufactured. The avoided embodied-carbon is roughly the difference — typically 40-70% lower lifecycle emissions vs a new-replacement scenario.
Our Scope-3 appendix translates that into a per-asset CO2-equivalent estimate using the GHG Protocol Cat 5 methodology, with assumptions documented for your sustainability team to adjust if needed.
What's in the sustainability disclosure pack
- ♦ Per-asset CO2-equivalent estimate (avoided emissions vs new-replacement counterfactual).
- ♦ Total tonnage refurbished-and-remarketed vs destruction-only vs recycled.
- ♦ Methodology citation: GHG Protocol Scope-3 Category 5 (Waste Generated in Operations).
- ♦ Assumptions table: per-asset embodied-carbon, residual-life multiplier, regional grid-mix factor.
- ♦ Downstream-recipient log naming where any recycled material went.
- ♦ Disposition-decision rationale per asset class.
For SGX-listed clients facing climate-disclosure scrutiny.
Singapore Exchange's mandatory climate-related disclosures (effective phased through 2025) raise the bar on Scope-3 data quality for listed companies. Methodology-based estimates without independent assurance may face audit challenge.
For SGX-listed engagements where independent assurance matters, we partner with a third-party assurance provider for review of the Scope-3 estimate. The cost of assurance is quoted separately from the ITAD engagement; typical lead time 4-6 weeks beyond standard settlement.
Maxicom Singapore — frequently asked
Is the Scope-3 estimate audit-grade?
It's a methodology-based estimate using GHG Protocol Cat 5 — clearly labelled as such, with assumptions documented. For audit-grade, independent assurance review is available on request from a third-party provider, quoted separately.
Can the ESG appendix integrate into our internal sustainability reporting tool?
Yes. Standard formats: PDF report, CSV per-asset table, optional XML or JSON for direct ingestion into tools like Workiva or Persefoni. Format agreed in the SoW.