We take care of the life cycle of ICT equipment
Sustainability goal: We apply sustainable development principles to the lifecycle management of ICT equipment and components.
Valtori’s task is to ensure that the central government employees’ everyday life with ICT services and tools is smooth and safe. Uniform ICT services are safe, produce volume savings and facilitate cooperation across organisational boundaries.
Introduction and use of ICT devices
Workstations are available for a wide range of applications. The customer receives everything needed for basic workstation use as a single package. Hardware, standard software, applications, and periodic software and security updates are provided throughout the lifecycle of the hardware.
Users of Valtti terminal devices are supported in hardware self-commissioning and secure decommissioning. Self-commissioning enables commissioning regardless of time and place. Among other things, the operating model includes a switcher application that brings user-specific information from the old computer to the new one and a tool for decommissioning the old device.
In 2023, we further developed instructions for the self-commissioning of Valtti terminal devices and introduced a terminal device exchange clinic.
- The terminal device exchange clinic is an easy-to-use support channel for endpoint device replacements. The clinic does not provide guided instruction or machine distribution; instead, it provides assistance in possible problem situations.
- The implementation method can be either a remote clinic or a local clinic.
In early 2023, the new Tori workstation agreement provided our customers with the opportunity to order workstations and workstation supplies to home addresses. Home delivery reduces the need to travel to your one’s own office to pick up orders when the person mainly works remotely and the office is located at a distance.
In 2023, we introduced roller cage deliveries without product packaging, allowing us to deliver equipment to the customer in a single box. This significantly reduces the need for packaging material.
Recycling of ICT equipment
Our special responsibility is to recycle our own and our customers’ ICT equipment and components. These include laptops, phones, tablets, monitors and printers.
Recycling responsibility is divided so that
- at the end of the contractual lifecycle, leasing equipment is recycled through our partner, 3StepIT, and
- devices that are broken, obsolete, not covered by leasing contracts (e.g., some monitors, some printers and telecommunications components) or devices at the end of their life cycle are sent to WEEE recycling. Here, Valtori has three partners: Kuusakoski, Encore and Destia.
The devices that are at the end of their contractual life cycle are handed over to a 3stepIT-authorised carrier who will transport them to the 3stepIT logistics centre. Devices returned there are sorted for resale and disposal:
- Retail devices are tested and their data is disposed of by overwriting the hard disks of the devices. Devices classified for disposal are also processed securely.
- All devices containing information, such as computers, MFDs and servers, are cleared with three-fold overwrite. If the hard disk of the machine cannot be overwritten, the hard disk is destroyed by crushing.
- 3StepIT offers an additional service to Valtori and its customers, ReStepIT, allowing for returning owned equipment, as well (purchases made through Valtori). The operating model is the same as in the recycling of leased equipment.
3StepIT produces an annual environmental report for ICT devices.
Image: Recycling end-of-life devices with 3StepIT (image source: Valtori)
We collect equipment for WEEE recycling in appropriate roller cages, and a partner company retrieves them centrally. In Finland, an authority supervises that WEEE processors have appropriate environmental permits. Partner companies recycle devices primarily in Finland. Companies sort, pre-process or refine materials for reuse as far as possible. Devices are mainly crushed, and materials are separated by different technologies.
- Modern computer materials can be reused up to 99%.
- Combustible waste that is not suitable for material use is processed into recycled fuel.
Intermediate storage of Valtti workstations
For Valtti workstations with lease period left, we offer intermediate storage. Our customers can order Valtti workstations that have returned from their organisation’s use in good condition from the intermediate storage for reuse. Previously, returning workstations in the middle of the lease period has been expensive, which has left the additional workstations for customers to wait for the lease to expire.
Workstations with at least one year left can be recycled, for example, for summer workers.
In 2023, we also extended the intermediate storage option included in the Valtti terminal device service to Valtti Moduuli customers.
Equipment needs assessment carried out in connection with the lifecycle renewal of multifunction and printing devices
When MFDs require life cycle changes with our customers, a needs survey is carried out using the statistics of the devices in use. This allows us to recommend to the customer the most appropriate equipment for their needs.
When the necessary equipment is used, printing efficiency is boosted in many respects, such as:
- In cases where the survey has shown that the machine has been used a lot, a device is sought with high printing speed to improve working hours efficiency.
- In order to optimise equipment costs, the aim is not to use hardware that is too powerful for the needs.
- For devices with less use, the purpose is to determine whether printing could be centralised or, alternatively, reduced.
In other words, we aim to support customers to use a suitable number and size to meet their needs.
New video conferencing services reduce parallel solutions
In 2023, we renewed Valtori’s video conferencing services for both Tori and Tuve services. With the new service, Valtori’s customer organisations can arrange secure communications and remote meetings more easily and quickly with all stakeholders. The meetings can process classified information and no longer require several parallel solutions for these needs.
Read more in Finnish about the new services on our website at Helppoa, nopeaa ja tietoturvallista yhteydenpitoa uudistuvilla videoneuvottelupalveluilla
Progress metric
Secure further use of devices decommissioned via 3stepIT
2023 actual: 98% ended up securely in further use and 2% in electronics recycling. Approximately 2,400,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions were avoided.
2022 actual: 99% and over 2,500,000 kg.
2021 actual: 97% and 1,000,000 kg.
Case studies
Extending lease periods for Tori mobile devices. Customer organisations can now choose whether to continue with a period of 2 years or to transfer to a 3-year lease period. It is estimated that over 10,000 devices have already been leased with a three-year period by the time this report was written.
Kiosk model introduced in Tuve workstation lifecycle replacements. The kiosk model provides us with savings in replacement times, available human resources and the transportation of equipment. In other words, this is a pop-up exchange point where an old device can be returned and a new one can be obtained. If the user needs separate support in the commissioning set-up of the device, they will request it in advance with a Tokka support request.
UN Goal 12, Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Target 12.5, By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
