Around 50 million metric tons (50 billion kg) of e-waste is generated globally every year. To put that into perspective, that’s the same weight as all commercial aircraft ever built. Millions of these devices are perfectly usable or have harvestable components—yet they still end up in landfills.
Furthermore, the expense enterprises face for destroying and repurchasing new IT assets is significant. Typically, devices are used for around three years. The money (and e-waste) soon stacks up.