Are you ready to make a positive impact on the environment and society? Setting sustainability goals for the next year is a crucial step to drive change and align with global efforts. In this article, we will guide you through the key steps to effectively set and measure sustainability goals. From understanding your current performance to choosing meaningful goals and tracking progress, we will provide practical tips and insights to help you create a solid sustainability strategy. Join us on this journey towards a more sustainable future.
Before embarking on the process of defining sustainability goals for the next year, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of your current performance and areas needing improvement. This involves a thorough review of your environmental impact, energy consumption, waste generation, and overall carbon footprint.
Additionally, it requires a deep analysis of your existing sustainability initiatives, their outcomes, and the effectiveness of the strategies employed. Understanding your starting point will provide valuable information that can guide the goal-setting process and help you set realistic yet ambitious objectives.
Moreover, understanding your current performance also entails evaluating the integration of sustainable practices into your business’s core functions and their impact on local communities.
This analysis should consider how your business operations affect the environment, economy, and society, as well as the potential to create positive changes. By exploring these aspects, you can identify strengths and weaknesses in your sustainability efforts and develop a clear picture of where improvements are needed.
Another essential aspect of understanding your starting point is aligning your business with global frameworks and agreements aimed at driving sustainability. This includes evaluating your current alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, international agreements like the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal, and other relevant sustainability guidelines.
By doing so, you can ensure that your future goals are in line with global expectations and contribute to collective efforts towards a more sustainable and equitable world.
When it comes to setting sustainability goals for the next year, it is imperative to base your objectives on concrete data and scientific insights. This involves leveraging accurate and comprehensive data related to your energy consumption, carbon emissions, water use, waste generation, and other relevant environmental metrics. By thoroughly analyzing these data, you can identify areas with higher environmental impact and prioritize them in your goal-setting process. Additionally, incorporating scientific research and expert guidance into your goal-setting decisions can provide a solid foundation for creating meaningful and impactful goals.
Furthermore, setting data and science-based goals also involves using predictive models and scenario planning to anticipate future environmental challenges and opportunities. This forward-looking approach allows you to proactively address potential sustainability risks and adapt your goals to contribute to long-term resilience and positive change. By considering scientific projections of climate change and its potential effects on your business and the ecosystem at large, you can develop goals that are adaptive and responsive to the constantly evolving sustainability landscape.
Setting ambitious sustainability goals for the next year is a powerful driver of change and progress. However, it’s essential to align these ambitious goals with your business’s core objectives and values. This alignment ensures that your sustainability goals are integrated into the fabric of your organization and are given the same level of strategic importance as other operational objectives. By connecting your sustainability goals with your business’s mission, vision, and overall strategic direction, you can create a unified approach that leverages your unique capabilities and resources to achieve significant impact.
In addition, aligning ambitious goals with your business involves engaging key stakeholders at different levels of your organization, including leadership, employees, and external partners. By fostering a sense of shared purpose and responsibility, you can mobilize collective efforts to achieve your sustainability goals and create a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Moreover, this alignment lays the foundation for identifying new business opportunities that arise from pursuing ambitious sustainability goals, such as cost savings, market differentiation, and enhanced brand reputation.
When selecting sustainability goals for the next year, it’s important to choose objectives that not only reflect your long-term aspirations but also demonstrate tangible and measurable short-term progress. This dual approach allows you to balance the pursuit of ambitious and transformative change with the need to celebrate and communicate incremental achievements along the way. By choosing goals that demonstrate significant progress, you can maintain momentum and engagement among your stakeholders, inspiring continued dedication to your sustainability journey.
Additionally, the goals you choose should be relevant and impactful within your specific industry and operational context. Consider selecting goals that address urgent environmental or social issues within your value chain and resonate with your customers, employees, and investors. By doing so, you can position your business as a proactive and responsible leader, driving positive change both within your organization and across your industry.
After setting your sustainability goals for the next year, it’s crucial to implement robust mechanisms to measure and monitor your efforts. This involves defining key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with each of your goals and collecting relevant data to assess your progress. The use of advanced tracking tools and software can streamline this process and provide real-time visibility into the impact of your sustainability initiatives, enabling informed decision-making and timely adjustments.
Moreover, measuring and monitoring your sustainability efforts requires transparent and accurate communication about sustainability. By regularly communicating your progress to internal and external stakeholders, including employees, investors, customers, and the broader community, you can build trust and accountability while inspiring others to join you in advancing sustainable practices. Additionally, leveraging certifications and third-party assurance services can enhance the credibility of your reported data and demonstrate your commitment to transparency and accuracy in measuring your sustainability performance.
As part of your goal-setting process for sustainability, it’s essential to embrace the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework for your actions. The SDGs provide a comprehensive and interconnected vision for addressing global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, and sustainable economic development. By aligning your goals with the SDGs, you can contribute to a broader global agenda and leverage the momentum of a worldwide movement towards a more sustainable and equitable future.
Furthermore, it’s crucial to link your sustainability goals to the critical imperative of addressing global warming limits, established in international agreements like the Paris Agreement. This involves not only setting goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate impact but also proactively seeking opportunities to adapt to changing environmental conditions and minimize potential disruptions to your business operations. By embracing the urgency of climate action in your goal-setting decisions, you demonstrate your commitment to being a responsible global citizen and a proactive leader in the fight against climate change.
A crucial step in aligning your sustainability goals with global climate objectives is committing to annual reductions in carbon emissions that are in line with a 1.5°C trajectory. The scientific consensus underscores the need for rapid and substantial emission reductions to limit global warming and its associated impacts. By committing to annual emission reductions, you demonstrate a proactive and decisive approach to mitigating climate change and contributing to the collective effort to stay within a safe and sustainable temperature increase threshold.
Moreover, this commitment requires a comprehensive and integrated approach to reducing carbon emissions across all your operations, supply chain, and product lifecycle. It may involve adopting renewable energy sources, optimizing energy efficiency, adopting sustainable practices in your production processes, and exploring innovative solutions for carbon capture and offsetting. By making annual emission reductions a central pillar of your sustainability goals, you send a clear signal of your dedication to being part of the solution to the pressing challenge of climate change.
Emphasizing material goals is a vital aspect of a disciplined and impactful approach to setting sustainability goals. Material goals focus on the most relevant and significant issues that have the potential to drive meaningful change within your organization and across your value chain. By concentrating on these material goals, you can direct your resources, innovation, and influence toward areas where they can generate the greatest environmental and social impact, amplifying the effectiveness of your sustainability initiatives.
Moreover, material goals require a rigorous assessment of your core functions, activities, and their interconnection with environmental and social systems. This analysis allows you to identify and prioritize goals that are closely linked to value creation, environmental footprint, and social responsibilities. By emphasizing material goals in your sustainability goal-setting process, you ensure that your efforts strategically focus on addressing the most urgent sustainability challenges and opportunities, laying the groundwork for significant and positive transformation.
Setting sustainability goals for the next year is important for any business looking to continue improving its sustainability efforts. It’s crucial to understand your current performance, use data and science to inform your goals, align them with your business objectives, and differentiate between short- and long-term goals. Measuring and monitoring your progress is key, and following frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals can help guide your goal-setting process. Additionally, it’s important to prioritize material goals and aim to reduce emissions in line with global warming limits. With a clear strategy and ambitious yet achievable goals, businesses can make a real impact in creating a more sustainable future for all.
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The question is straightforward: what happens when several organizations coordinate to give veterans access to technology and digital training? This recent deployment offered a clear answer. A group of 47 veterans in the Operation: Veteran Connect program received refurbished laptops to stay connected to their routines, families, and educational resources.
Many veterans still face barriers that limit their ability to use technology. A report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) noted that 2.2 million veteran households lack fixed broadband, mobile broadband, or both, and that veterans are more likely than non-veterans to cite the absence of a computer or an adequate device as a key reason for not adopting digital services. The report also mentions that many veterans live in rural areas and that older veterans often have fewer digital skills.
This deployment aimed to provide a reliable device ready for use, along with training sessions facilitated by Community Tech House. The goal was to help participants handle everyday tasks, take online courses, or communicate more easily.
At eSmart Recycling, we handled equipment collection, secure data destruction, and device preparation. Our corporate partners — AVISPL and the University of South Florida (USF) — donated the equipment they no longer needed. We then took care of the audit process, secure data wiping, and refurbishment.
After that step, the Digital Education Foundation, together with Seniors in Service and Community Tech House, delivered the laptops and guided the veterans through digital lessons tailored to their needs.
The day of the deployment had a relaxed, friendly tone. Some veterans took their time exploring the keys; others mentioned they hadn’t had a personal device in years, and several talked about wanting to reconnect with family members or continue online learning opportunities.
The recipients were 47 veterans from the Operation: Veteran Connect program. They came with different backgrounds, ages, and reasons for wanting a laptop: staying in touch with loved ones, improving digital skills, managing VA-related tasks, or simply having a device they could depend on.
This result was possible thanks to coordinated work across community groups, companies that recycle their equipment with us, and organizations dedicated to digital education.
Deployments like this one will continue as long as there is collaboration between Seniors in Service, Digital Education Foundation, Community Tech House, our corporate partners, and our team at eSmart Recycling. Each program allows more veterans to use technology they previously did not have access to.
We invite companies interested in recycling their equipment to work with eSmart Recycling. Your participation helps us prepare more laptops and support more people in future deployments.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way the world deals with electronic waste.
While the planet is producing record amounts of tech trash — 62 million metric tons in 2022, according to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024 — new AI-powered solutions are emerging to classify, reuse, and recycle electronics with unprecedented precision.
But it’s not all as clean as it sounds. The same technology that helps reduce e-waste also consumes enormous amounts of energy, water, and raw materials to exist.
Across recycling plants in Europe and Asia, AI systems can now identify and sort electronic materials with incredible accuracy. Computer-vision cameras recognize metals, plastics, and components in seconds, allowing facilities to separate recoverable parts from true waste.
This increases recovery rates and reduces human error during sorting.
AI is also being used in predictive maintenance — analyzing how devices behave and spotting early signs of wear before they fail. Companies like Dell and HP use algorithms to extend product lifespan and cut down on premature returns. That means fewer devices discarded too soon — and less waste overall.
AI helps manage tech inventories and track which devices can be refurbished, resold, or recycled.
In some countries, it’s being used to map entire e-waste flows and pinpoint regions where formal recycling systems still can’t reach. (weforum.org)
AI’s rise also comes with a significant environmental cost.
In short, AI helps clean part of the problem… while also contributing to it.
The potential is there — if used responsibly. AI could make a real difference by:
The future of e-waste recycling will depend less on algorithms and more on how people choose to use them.
AI can be a powerful ally in reducing e-waste — as long as we remember that progress starts with human choices, not just smart machines.
At eSmart Recycling, we like to look ahead. Our daily work revolves around the present — collecting, recycling, and refurbishing equipment — but we’re also driven by a bigger question: what will technology look like when it finally becomes truly sustainable?
So, we decided to do something different. We asked AI to help us imagine what future devices might look like if they were built to last, repair themselves, and recycle cleanly.
The answers were fascinating — and closer than you might think.
When we say AI “sees” future devices, it’s not science fiction.
Today’s models can already analyze massive data sets on design trends, materials, and energy efficiency to predict what’s coming next.
In the energy sector, for instance, AI is already being used to anticipate demand peaks and optimize power grids, cutting waste and emissions. That same intelligence, applied to hardware, could help create durable, recyclable, and energy-autonomous devices.
During this experiment, our team identified six concepts that AI envisions as possible in the near future. Some are already in development; others still sound like something from a design lab of tomorrow.
A phone designed to last more than a decade.
This merges the spirit of Fairphone with the potential of smart, self-healing materials.
A portable computer covered with flexible photovoltaic film and powered by AI-driven energy management.
A natural step toward circular, low-emission electronics.
An energy-storage system that manages itself.
This kind of system is already being explored for solar grids and smart homes.
A Wi-Fi router designed with environmental awareness in mind.
Routers powered by AI already exist; adding environmental sensors is the logical next step.
A data server that manages its own energy and life cycle.
Companies like Google and Microsoft are already using AI to increase energy efficiency in their data centers.
Designed for school programs and underserved communities.
A tangible example of how sustainability can meet access to education.
Semiconductor manufacturing still demands enormous amounts of water, energy, and rare materials. The future of technology depends on rethinking how we build, use, and reintegrate devices into the economy.
While these six ideas are at different stages of possibility, they share one goal: reducing waste, extending product lifespans, and protecting natural resources.
While AI dreams up tomorrow’s devices, we’re focused on today’s. At eSmart Recycling, we collect used technology from businesses, ensure secure data destruction, recycle responsibly, and refurbish devices that still have life left.
Each device we recover helps close the digital divide and keep e-waste out of landfills. So while AI imagines the next generation of sustainable devices, we keep building sustainability through everyday action.
Recycling old tech isn’t just “getting rid of stuff.” Behind every computer, server, or phone, there are valuable materials, sensitive data, and environmental responsibilities that shouldn’t be ignored.
This guide walks you through the safe, responsible, and trackable way to recycle technology — the same process we follow every day at eSmart Recycling.
The first step is simple but essential: know what you have.
An accurate inventory helps you plan and manage the process correctly.
We do this at every corporate pickup: we audit, label, and track each asset before moving it. That ensures transparency and total control.
Before recycling, every piece of data must be erased — permanently.
At eSmart Recycling, we use certified data destruction methods that meet HIPAA and NIST 800-88 standards.
If you’re preparing devices yourself:
It’s not just about protecting information — it’s about protecting your company’s reputation and compliance.
Many electronics contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, or lithium.
Separating batteries, screens, cables, and circuit boards prevents accidents and makes downstream recycling safer.
In our facility, we manually disassemble and classify components to guarantee proper recovery and treatment.
Not all recyclers are the same. Work only with certified providers — ideally those with R2v3 or e-Stewards certification — and verified traceability.
A reliable recycler should offer:
At eSmart Recycling, we go a step further. Part of the recovered value from equipment is used to refurbish and donate computers to children and families who need them. That means your recycling effort also supports digital inclusion.
Once your materials are ready:
We provide both certificates, along with a full traceability report and an environmental summary.
We also offer social and environmental impact reports so companies can communicate their results transparently.
Safe tech recycling shouldn’t be a one-time project.
Set up regular collections — annually or semi-annually — and include them in your sustainability reporting.
Every year, thousands of companies in the U.S. refresh their technology. When that equipment is handled properly, it prevents pollution, reduces emissions, and helps close the digital divide.
At eSmart Recycling, that’s exactly what we do.
We collect, audit, refurbish, and recycle devices — ensuring data security, environmental safety, and social good. Refurbished computers from our process reach schools and communities that otherwise wouldn’t have access to technology.
What starts as a technical process ends up creating human change.
If your company wants to recycle safely, transparently, and with purpose, this is the way to do it.
If we want to take sustainability seriously, technology is a great place to start. Every device we use — from phones to servers — consumes resources, energy, and materials. But it also gives us a chance to use them more wisely.
Here are five practical things you can do at home or in your company to help the planet and join the spirit of World Sustainability Day 2025.
Rule number one: don’t replace, repair. Many laptops and desktops can work perfectly fine with a little upgrade — an extra stick of RAM, an SSD drive, or a new battery. Even basic maintenance like cleaning fans, can extend their life by years.
Every year, the world generates over 62 million tons of e-waste, yet only 17.4% is properly collected and recycled. Keeping your devices running longer helps reduce your piece of that growing problem.
When a replacement is really needed, go for devices with ENERGY STAR or EPEAT labels — they’re designed to use less power and last longer.
And don’t forget the small stuff:
Simple, everyday actions like these can save huge amounts of energy when multiplied across dozens of devices.
Many electronics still draw “phantom” energy even when they’re off. Smart power strips detect when a device isn’t being used and cut power to that outlet automatically.
They’re great for home offices, meeting rooms, or printing areas — a small investment that pays off quickly.
Sustainability also lives in the digital world. Try these small shifts:
Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity, and these habits help cut that footprint.
When a device truly reaches the end of its life, don’t throw it away. Partner with certified recyclers that guarantee secure data destruction and proper material recovery.
In 2025, North America’s e-waste recycling market is valued at over $33 billion, and it keeps growing worldwide.
At eSmart Recycling, we handle this process every day — collecting, auditing, refurbishing, and recycling technology. Every device that gets a second life helps reduce waste and connects more people to digital access.
If everyone adopted just two or three of these actions, the difference would be massive. Let’s make tech sustainability part of everyday life — not just a buzzword.
Managing electronic waste responsibly isn’t just about protecting the environment — it’s a solid, long-term business move. Here’s why, backed by real data, real examples, and the way we see it every day at eSmart Recycling.
When a company takes electronic waste management seriously — from computers and servers to printers and cables — it benefits in several ways:
Let’s break down why this matters.
The global electronic waste recycling market is projected to expand from around USD 25 billion today to over USD 130 billion by 2033, according to GlobeNewswire.
In the U.S. alone, the sector is valued at USD 24.7 billion in 2024 and could reach USD 45 billion by 2032, based on PS Market Research.
That growth isn’t just a headline — it reflects real business opportunities for organizations that collect, refurbish, or recycle electronics in a safe, compliant way.
Electronic devices contain valuable metals and minerals. In fact, one ton of printed circuit boards can hold more gold than a ton of mined ore, according to Iron Mountain.
When metal prices rise, so do profit margins — and the more precise your recovery process, the greater the yield.
For companies disposing of large volumes of tech equipment, traditional disposal methods are expensive — transportation, hazardous waste management, and processing costs add up fast.
Recycling partnerships can reduce those costs and even turn them into revenue streams. As volume increases and logistics improve, the cost per unit drops, creating room for scalability.
Well-managed e-waste recycling businesses can reach operating margins of 10% to 20%, depending on volume, location, and commodity prices.
E-waste recycling comes with challenges:
To manage these risks:
At eSmart Recycling, we operate in the U.S. under the R2v3 certification, the world’s most recognized standard for responsible electronics recycling.
This certification ensures every step — from collection to secure data destruction and material recovery — meets rigorous environmental, safety, and data protection standards.
By combining technical compliance, social value, and financial sustainability, we maintain a circular model that benefits both the planet and our partners.
Managing electronic waste properly isn’t just about avoiding fines or meeting regulations. It’s about showing responsibility toward something bigger — our shared resources, our customers’ trust, and the communities around us.
Every properly recycled device tells a different story: less pollution, more material recovery, and new opportunities for others to access technology.
At eSmart Recycling, we see it every day. And yes, when it’s done with purpose, recycling technology is good business.
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