The Royal Mint continues sustainability journey with Circular Computing remanufactured laptops

The Royal Mint, one of the world’s leading mints and trusted producer of official UK coins, has agreed a deal to help decarbonise its IT estate by using remanufactured laptops from Circular Computing.

The Royal Mint is famous for making coins, but over recent years, it has evolved to offer precious metals investment, luxury collectables and jewellery. The Royal Mint is committed to growing in a sustainable manner, targeting all areas of its operations, including the supply chain. The carbon neutral, remanufactured laptops provided by Circular Computing are a key step towards embracing circular economy, lower carbon processes as championed by the IT department.

The unique Circular Remanufacturing Process sees Circular Computing produce second-life laptops that are certified equal to or better than new by a world’s first BSI Kitemark. Following a successful trial, the agreed partnership will see The Royal Mint use Circular Computing carbon neutral, remanufactured Lenovo ThinkPad T480 units, designed to meet The Royal Mint’s specific IT needs while allowing for a flexible procurement approach. Over 70 remanufactured laptops have already been delivered to The Royal Mint, with further deliveries set to take place later this year. By using carbon neutral remanufactured laptops, The Royal Mint can achieve lower carbon contributions from its laptop estate, while also promoting the principles of the circular economy.

Tackling the e-waste crisis carries a shared importance across both organisations. Circular Computing are prolonging the lifecycle of hardware, vastly reducing the amount of old tech going to waste. Last year The Royal Mint introduced innovative new chemistry to the UK to recover precious metals from electronic waste and are now developing a full-scale plant in South Wales to process thousands of tonnes of e-waste per week and recover hundreds of kilograms of precious metals per annum. The first recovered gold has already been used to launch a new luxury jewellery range.

Simon Edwards, Head of IT Operations at The Royal Mint said: “Sustainability is core to the long-term future of The Royal Mint and our technology function is challenged with delivering sustainable computing for our employees. We teamed up with Circular Computing and ran a trial of their sustainable laptops to see if they would be a fit for our needs.”

“Not only do the remanufactured laptops meet our demanding specifications, they also have premium appeal - from the packaging they arrive in to the quality of the devices themselves. They also come with extended warranty options which made it an easy decision to move to Circular Computing.”

Steve Haskew, Head of Sustainability and Social Leadership at Circular Computing comments: “The deal with The Royal Mint continues to show the benefits of remanufacturing to organisations of all types, including those that are steeped in history.”

“With a need for durable, reliable IT equipment alongside meeting the organisations sustainability goals, remanufactured laptops are the ideal solution for The Royal Mint. As we work to tackle the e-waste crisis, we’re excited to be partnering with a leader in the sustainable precious metals industry who share many of the same values and beliefs.”

Inga Doak, Head of Sustainability and ESG at The Royal Mint added: “Investing in a sustainable future for all our stakeholders is integral to The Royal Mint’s overall business ambition. Partnering with Circular Computing - the first company in the world to achieve a BSI Kitemark for their remanufactured laptops – provided us with a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate this commitment.”

“The solution offered by Circular Computing is a great example where remanufactured exceeds new – with their remanufactured laptops meeting our functional IT needs while delivering a circular, carbon neutral product. As The Royal Mint transforms for the future, we want to partner with more organisations like Circular Computing, who support our ambition to be leaders in sustainable precious metals.”