Sustainability. A strategic practice.

The eight strategic practices

Global enterprises do not optimise workplace technology for one priority alone. They balance risk, cost, experience, compliance, sustainability, and operational control - often across dozens of countries.

Over decades of supporting complex international environments, we have learned that eight disciplines consistently define success. These are what we call our strategic practices.

They are not service categories. They are the principles that guide how we design programmes, structure delivery models, and advise enterprise IT leadership.

No single practice wins in isolation. The right model sits in the balance between them - shaped by your risk profile, regulatory exposure, cost structure, and transformation ambitions.

This article explores one of those eight practices: Sustainability.

Circularity must be operational

Sustainability in workplace technology is no longer about ambition statements. It is about operational design.

Boards expect measurable scope 3 reductions. Regulators demand traceability. Employees expect responsible handling of technology. Investors want evidence, not promises.

Yet in many global environments, sustainability still operates beside the delivery model - not inside it.

The enterprises that lead embed circularity into how devices are selected, deployed, managed, recovered, and remarketed. Sustainability becomes measurable. Governed. Financially aligned.

Why most global models struggle

Most workplace environments were never designed for circularity.

They grew through acquisitions. Regional suppliers. Local fulfilment contracts. Multiple recycling and IT asset disposition partners. Inconsistent return processes. Limited visibility of residual value. No structured CO2e reporting across outbound and inbound flows.

Sustainability initiatives are often layered on top:

• A reporting framework is introduced

• Carbon metrics are estimated

• Regional recycling vendors are appointed

• A policy is published

But the lifecycle model itself remains fragmented.

Circularity breaks at the seams.

The hidden risks of fragmented sustainability

When sustainability is not embedded in the lifecycle, three enterprise risks emerge.

First, environmental ambition without operational proof.

Second, lost financial value through unmanaged residual assets.

Third, security exposure.

Fragmented recovery models often mean inconsistent data sanitisation standards, varying audit documentation, and limited downstream visibility. Devices may leave one country under one process and enter another under a different standard.

That creates risk.

Global enterprises must be able to demonstrate:

• Certified data sanitisation

• Controlled chain of custody

• Verified downstream processing

• Measurable CO2e reduction

• Alignment with international standards

Without lifecycle discipline, sustainability becomes difficult to defend - and harder to scale.

Engineering sustainability into the lifecycle

Sustainability only becomes real when it is engineered into the operating model itself.

At Egiss, it is one of the eight strategic practices that guide every programme we design.

That means:

• Selecting devices aligned with longevity and reuse potential

• Standardising models globally to improve recoverability

• Embedding structured takeback into deployment processes

• Operating under ISO 9001, 14001, 27001, and 45001

• Maintaining R2v3 compliance for responsible reuse and recycling

• Delivering measurable CO2e reporting across outbound and inbound flows

Because we operate controlled global hubs and dedicated IT asset processing facilities, sustainability is governed - not outsourced.

Circularity is designed upstream, not solved downstream.

And when structured correctly, sustainability reinforces economy at scale.

Recovered value offsets cost.

Standardisation increases reuse ratios.

Lifecycle extension reduces capital intensity.

Environmental responsibility and financial discipline align.

The right balance

Sustainability cannot dominate the model at the expense of security.

Security cannot override employee experience.

Economy at scale cannot undermine local compliance realities.

The optimal workplace model sits in the right balance between the eight strategic practices.

For some enterprises, sustainability is the primary driver.

For others, security or global standards take precedence.

Our role is not to promote a fixed template.

It is to design the right balance for your environment.

Why this matters now

Regulatory scrutiny is increasing.

Carbon disclosure requirements are tightening.

Stakeholders expect transparency.

Sustainability in workplace technology can no longer be symbolic.

It must be measurable.

Operational.

Integrated.

Auditable.

Anything less introduces risk.

Closing perspective

Enterprises do not need more sustainability messaging.

They need lifecycle models that make sustainability unavoidable.

That is why Sustainability is one of our eight strategic practices.

Not because it sounds responsible - but because without it, global workplace delivery is incomplete.