Rethinking Refurbished Laptops: What smart businesses can learn from Lenovo and The Big Issue donating ThinkPads to social enterprises

This article is sponsored by Lenovo

You probably take your laptop for granted: it’s fast, it’s stylish, it just works. But imagine for a second that you didn’t have it, that you couldn’t nip online and order a new one because you simply didn’t have the money. Instead, you were forced to share a device, or perhaps use a battered, decade-old machine with grindingly slow performance. 

This scenario may be all too familiar to social enterprises that want to invest every penny they spend in an impactful way. But a partnership between Lenovo and The Big Issue is showing the power of refurbished tech, as together they tackle “digital poverty” by donating high-quality refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad laptops. 

It’s a partnership that drives inclusion and sustainability, goals that unite and motivate both organisations.  “We’re partnering with Big Issue Invest because we share a belief that technology can unlock opportunity, especially for those facing digital and social barriers,” says Aidan Griffin, who heads Lenovo UK & Ireland’s Solutions & Services Group. 

There’s a wider point here, too. That buying refurbished tech isn’t simply an ethical decision or one that will help drive down e-waste. It’s also a smart business move. “Refurbished technology gives small to medium enterprises access to high-quality, lower-cost technology,” explains Aidan. “This allows businesses to stretch their IT budgets further and redirect the savings into other areas of the business to promote growth.” 

Lenovo and Big Issue: A partnership with purpose

As we revealed in our article at the time, Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm of Big Issue, donated the first laptops to Doing What Really Matters (DWRM) earlier this year. DWRM helps prisoners study and gain qualifications, and it loaned the ThinkPads to learners during their time in prison and to help them continue studying and find work after their release. 

Other recipients included a charity fighting digital poverty in Greater Manchester and a London-based filmmaker that offered an outreach programme to young people.

More recently Big Issue and Lenovo have worked with World Heart Beat, a music academy and charity that gives children of all backgrounds the chance to develop their musical skills. “The laptops impact young people in many different ways,” says Chiara Calastri, Program Manager at World Heart Beat. “It allows them to record, to compose, to arrange, and build confidence in their work and their musicianship.”

Or consider what’s happening at Collage Arts, a charity and arts centre that provides access and support to under-represented sections of the community in Haringey, London. Many of the young people it works with don’t have easy access to a laptop, which meant “our singers and songwriters were basically using my old, battered laptop, gathering around it to be able to research for their songwriting” says Steve Medlin, Artistic Director.

The donation of Lenovo Certified Refurbished laptops has made life much easier, says Steve. “It will absolutely open up the opportunities of the things that we can explore in class.” Students agree. “It’s not as chaotic anymore,” said one teenager. “We don’t have to fight over who wants a laptop.”

Looking at the bigger picture, Lenovo’s Aidan Griffin is keen to point out that it “isn’t just about providing devices. This is really about providing support to enable real change within their communities.”

What “Lenovo Certified Refurbished” really means

We’ve used the term “Lenovo Certified Refurbished” a few times now, so let’s first nail down what this doesn’t mean. In particular, it isn’t a matter of reinstalling Windows on a three-year-old ThinkPad and giving everything a polish. 

Instead, that badge is a promise that you’re buying a laptop that meets the same professional standards for enterprise-grade performance. Every machine goes through a set of vigorous testing, which means that it’s backed by the same level of warranty as a new ThinkPad. In particular each refurbishment includes: 

• Safeguarded data sanitisation (NIST SP 800-88 compliant)
• Comprehensive functionality testing (35+ quality checks)
• Battery and component replacement (always official Lenovo components)
• Cosmetic refurbishment and deep cleaning

All of which means that when a business buys a Lenovo Certified Refurbished ThinkPad it’s buying like-new performance backed by a comprehensive warranty. As a minimum, you’ll benefit from a year’s cover, but this can be extended to three years.

It’s also 100% secure, as opposed to buying second-hand laptops from a marketplace.

Business benefits of buying (certified) refurbished technology

There are many advantages of buying refurbished technology over new. The first is obvious: you can save a lot of money without sacrificing reliability or security. As a rough guide, expect to pay between 30% and 50% less than you would if you chose new laptops of the same quality.

You’re not simply buying a piece of hardware either. All ThinkPads come with the level of support you need when rolling out a vital piece of equipment to your workforce, and that means the same suite of tools to help keep them secure and their software up to date.

This could be particularly relevant if you need to upgrade from old and now – unless you’re paying Microsoft for the privilege – unsupported laptops running Windows 10. Don’t forget that most Lenovo ThinkPads ship with Windows 11 Pro for extra tools and reassurance.

Then consider that you’re making a more sustainable purchase that will help you meet your ESG and net-zero targets. Nor should this be seen as a tickbox exercise. 

“Choosing refurbished technology reduces e-waste and supports sustainability goals, which is very important to employers, to customers and to investors,” says Aidan. Not to mention your own employees. You’re showing that you take sustainability and ethical procurement seriously, and that has to be worth shouting about.

From ethical choice to competitive advantage

A recent report by Circularity and Deloitte showed that extending the use of electronics by just 30% can reduce annual emissions by up to 20%. This switch to a circular economy, where we refurbish technology rather than consigning it to e-waste, has the potential to make genuine, impactful societal change.

While no one person, no single organisation, can change the world on its own, every purchasing decision we make has an impact. According to the latest Circularity Gap Report, only 6.9% of materials are secondary – the rest are virgin materials. 

“Despite widespread discussions on the circular economy, the world is becoming less circular,” writes Helena McLeod, Deputy Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute in the report’s introduction. “[The report’s] call is clear: nations must urgently shift to a circular economy to build resilience and sustainability.”

France continues to lead the way, with legislation stipulating that 20% of IT equipment that organisations buy must be refurbished, rising to 40% by 2040. But there’s nothing to stop British companies from jumping ahead of the trend and doing so now.

As this reflects, not every laptop you buy for your business must be refurbished. It makes sense to invest in the latest technology for employees that will take advantage. However, when you’re next setting your budget or eyeing up a refresh, buying refurbished should be part of your thinking: many people on your team will be just as happy, just as productive, with a refurbished ThinkPad. 

Not only will you almost certainly buy a higher-quality system, but one that looks good, that will help you meet your sustainability goals and that will reduce the world’s reliance on virgin materials.

Lessons to learn from the partnership between Lenovo and The Big Issue

Just like every organisation, social enterprises face tough choices when it comes to their budget. However, some of these enterprises really are facing the scenario we mentioned at the start of this article: such limited funds that they are forced to use sub-standard laptops or even use personal laptops owned by their staff.

Through the donation of top-quality refurbished ThinkPads, the partnership between Lenovo and The Big Issue emphasises that people don’t need the latest equipment to unleash their potential. But everyone needs access to a high-quality computer, one that comes with professional levels of performance, security and support.

So rather than rush in and buy new, next time you need to invest in a computer we urge you to stop and think: this time around, perhaps it makes sense to buy certified, refurbished technology instead.

Find out more about how Lenovo is working with Big Issue Invest to support social enterprises.