- October 16, 2025
Recently leading voices from politics, business, and the public sector gathered at Tomorrow's Society 2025, an event hosted by Sweden’s leading financial newspaper, Dagens industri, to explore the innovative solutions needed to address society’s biggest challenges.
I was lucky enough to chair a panel discussion alongside two leaders in their field - Stefan Söderström, Operations Developer for the Västra Götaland Region (VGR), a Swedish municipality with over 57,000 employees, and Erik Wottrich, Head of Sustainability for Tele2, a leading Nordic Telecommunications provider and Time Magazine’s #1 most sustainable company in Sweden.
Together, we explored how circular tech could support thousands more Swedish businesses to increase financial and operational efficiency, embed robust data security, and deliver a positive sustainability impact. Here’s what we discussed:
A gap between mindset and action
Sweden has built a reputation as a leader in sustainability, and that mindset is strongly reflected in business. Indeed, a recent 3stepIT report found that 79% of companies now include climate impact as a top criterion in IT procurement, highlighting its strategic importance when making investment decisions.
Yet less than one in five organizations (18.2%) have a circular technology management approach in place. In fact, 75% admit to storing unused IT equipment instead, and on average legacy devices are locked away for just over three years.
Three years is a long time in the life of a laptop. Not only do stored devices pose a significant data security risk, but they also rapidly depreciate. Organizations are missing a double opportunity – first, to maximize their residual value returns, and then to limit the environmental impact of their technology by making it available to a new user.
So, what stops an organization that is willing and motivated to act sustainably from making the leap into action?
A persistent myth
Our research shows that 52% of companies see high costs as the main obstacle to adopting circular technology solutions, a misperception that has risen steadily for the past three years. But the evidence tells a different story.
EY’s 2023 Sustainable Value Study found that more than half of companies (52%) saw greater-than-expected financial value from their sustainability initiatives. And in the tech sector, both Capgemini and PWC research shows that organizations that implement circular strategies can achieve average cost savings of at least 12%.
A cultural transition
Without a proactive plan to embed circular practices from the point of procurement, capturing the value of use tech can also be a challenge for organizations. Our research shows:
- 60% of employees believe it is someone else’s responsibility to return their used devices.
- Only a third (36%) of companies have an assigned person to collect used tech assets from employees.
- Only 25% actively remind employees to return used devices.
All the panellists agreed that Swedish employees are motivated to act sustainably. In fact, 67% consider sustainability a top priority when choosing an employer. So, this shows a gap in awareness, education, and planning to help individuals understand the positive impact they can achieve, and a lack of simple management processes at an organizational level to support the swift return of used devices.
Making the economic case
The environmental case for adopting circular models is clear - by extending the lifespan of tech assets through refurbishment and repair organizations can lower the environmental impact of their tech, and as used devices become available on secondary markets, the need to manufacture new, resource-intensive devices reduces.
But our panellists also felt strongly that the circular economy is also a strong financial model based on optimizing resources, improving efficiency, and minimizing waste – all key components of profitability.
I see VGR as a prime example of this and an organisation fully realising the benefits of a circular model. By reinvesting the value of used devices back into their operations, they break away from the traditional linear approach and move towards a future-proof circular model that delivers lasting value for both the business and its end users.
When organizations look beyond environmental gains, they can reframe circular tech solutions by demonstrating the strategic value they deliver in terms of innovation, resilience, efficiency, and growth.
Then it’s easy to see why a proactive plan to embed circular tech management solution into your business delivers benefits. And why working with a trusted partner to support your team with simple, seamless, automated processes can make the transition achievable.
Unlocking circular potential
Circular technology reduces costs, increases efficiency and security, and unlocks hidden value in unused equipment. But through our discussion all our panellists agreed that adoption requires leadership, collaboration, and a culture where there is a clear responsibility to return used devices, backed by defined targets.
At 3stepIT, we’re lucky to see that light bulb moment daily. The appetite for change is strong. Now we need to bridge the gap between intent and action.