Why IT t Recycling Matters by Jay Livens

I recently ran across an article entitled Metals in your smartphone have no substitutes that discusses the limited availability of critical metals that are vital for today's smartphones (and other IT assets, I would add) and how there are few good substitutes. The article questions the historical assumption that alternatives can be found for resources that become too expensive. The core assumption is that these metals are so unique and specialized that there are virtually no substitutes.

If you think about it, we live in a world with a limited number of precious commodities including metals, oil and other materials. We consume these items in our everyday lives and forget that supplies are limited. In some instances, replacements can be found that while not providing exactly the same benefits are close. (Think green energy vs hydrocarbon-based energy.) The problem of the precious metals is that there are no clear substitutes and hence if we run out, it is unclear how we will replace them. Hopefully, technology will come to our rescue but what if it doesn't? The simple truth is that we need to be careful stewards of our resources to ensure that we are using them efficiently and wisely. This thoughtful approach must extend to how we eventually dispose of our electronic items.

In my view, one of these most efficient ways to address future resource scarcity is to look at how we can reuse existing materials. Specifically, our IT assets (including phones, tables, laptops, hard drives, servers, office equipment and many more) incorporate many materials that are both precious and in many cases toxic to the environment as well. Thus, an effective asset disposal strategy addresses two critical environmental issues - first, by recycling scarce resources we reduce our dependence on new sources of materials and second, by controlling how our equipment is recycled we mitigate the risk that toxic chemicals are released into the environment. Naturally, these green considerations are very important, but an additional concern for corporate entities is information protection. Critical company information can live on many devices/assets and so companies must further ensure that their data does not fall into the wrong hands.

As the article discusses, we need to think carefully about how we use and manage the scarce resources around us. One part of the strategy is to think carefully about which resources we use and why and another is ensuring that these resources are reused as much as possible. Iron Mountain's Secure IT Asset Disposition solution can help because it provides a turnkey solution to IT asset disposition and ensures consistent, reliable and environmentally friendly end-of-life processes. Best of all, Iron Mountain is an e-Stewards Enterprise which means that we pledge to use globally responsible and safe means to process e-waste. Finally, Secure IT Asset Disposition also leverages Iron Mountain's rigorous chain of custody processes to ensure that your information is protected through the disposition process. I want to close this blog post with a simple question Are you managing your asset disposition in a way that ensures that critical metals are recycled and that your information is protected?

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/data-backup-and-recov...
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