Driving the
circular economy
for storage
circular economy
for storage
The Circular Drive Initiative (CDI) is a partnership of global leaders in digital storage, data centers, sustainability, and blockchain collaborating to reduce e-waste by enabling, driving, and promoting the secure reuse of storage hardware.


Industry lead with the guidance of
Bill McDonough
CDI was convened under the leadership of William McDonough, Chief Executive of McDonough Innovation and the renowned architect of Cradle to Cradle design and The Circular Economy, which brings circular design principles and reporting to data storage in the ICT industry.
“I love the idea that these storage drives can be repurposed, with new data, wisdom, intelligence, and cleverness to better the human condition. These renewed drives will help us remember the future. Storage reuse effectively demonstrates the Cradle to Cradle Circular Technosphere concept and I believe it can be a leading example in the ICT industry.”
William McDonough, Chief Executive, McDonough Innovation


Economic Benefits of Embracing Circular Economy Practices in Data Storage
This blog explores the economic potential of reusing storage media, backed by market analysis from 2020 to 2028. It highlights how circular economy practices in data storage can reduce [...]
Smith Conducts Interviews to Tackle Carbon Accounting and Carbon Avoidance
Authors: Smith & Associates Smith recently interviewed representatives from large hyperscalers, OEMs, and other key players in the electronics industry under the Circular Drive Initiative (CDI) and Open Compute [...]
Bridging the Circularity Gap in IT Hardware: New Insights from Interact, Cedar, and the Circular Drive Initiative
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 [...]
The Circular Drive Initiative’s Push For Sustainable Data Storage
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), [...]