As global demand for data storage reaches unprecedented levels, manufacturers are struggling to keep pace. But the environmental cost of continuously producing new hardware is unsustainable. That’s where circular practices—like refurbishment and reuse—come into play, offering a powerful solution to both meet demand and reduce environmental impact.Research published in the European Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EJECE 2024) explores this issue, focusing on the circularity gap in IT hardware. The findings, led by Interact, Cedar, and the Circular Drive Initiative (CDI), are eye-opening. The Circular Economy Potential A year-long study involving over 117,000 storage devices—both HDDs and SSDs—was conducted to assess how many drives could be securely erased and refurbished for reuse. The results revealed that 87% of these drives were suitable for a second life after successful data sanitization. The Untapped Opportunity In 2020, a staggering 628 million SSDs and HDDs were manufactured, many of which are reaching the end of their first life in 2024. While about 62 to 64 million of these drives will be reused, over 480 million drives that are perfectly viable for reuse will likely be destroyed or disposed of instead. This represents an enormous missed opportunity, both environmentally and economically. Key [...]

In today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape, e-waste and embodied carbon remain significant concerns. With the growth of the Internet of Things and the precipitous demand for all things artificial intelligence (AI), data storage requirements are expected to surge — amplifying safety and efficiency challenges around device management. The Circular Drive Initiative (CDI) embraces circularity principles to curb e-waste in data storage hardware. It draws inspiration from strategies that aim to minimize waste by maximizing the lifespan of products and materials. Specifically, it advocates for sustainable hardware mechanisms using system-based approaches that take into account the entire product lifecycle. As data storage enters a new phase, CDI is uniting storage industry leaders in a push to minimize environmental impact, tackle resource security issues, and promote secure reuse. By encouraging companies to adopt long-term strategies, CDI is at the forefront of the drive towards sustainable data storage. The Story The Circular Drive Initiative operates as a consortium uniting global leaders in digital storage, data centers, sustainability, and blockchain. The CDI’s core mission revolves around fostering sustainability in storage practices, combating e-waste by championing, enabling, and advocating for the secure reuse of storage hardware. CDI was convened in November 2022 under the leadership [...]