What started as a local collaboration on refurbished hardware has grown into an extensive partnership with impact on a European level. Michel Voorhout, Business Development Manager Digital Services at HP, and Aat van de Polder, Director of Business Development & Vendor Management at Flex IT, sit down together for a conversation about circularity, professionalisation and what keeps organisations from acting in a truly sustainable way.

‘’We talk about it a lot, but we don’t do it”. According to Michel, few customers really look holistically at the full lifecycle of their devices. ‘’They focus on the purchase, but forget what happens afterwards.’ Aat adds: “There is enthusiasm, the story is good. But the lack of time, space or motivation is an obstacle.” That is the market situation HP and Flex IT are manoeuvring into, where both parties have taken the lead to bring in more circularity.

Warranty, residual value and scalability

The previous “HP Approved Selection” programme has now joined HP Certified Refurbished. With this, HP and Flex IT take it one step further: ‘’The quality remains the same, but the difference is that it now comes with a standard one-year HP warranty,’’ says Aat. ‘’That makes it much more trustworthy among end users and governments.’’

Another difference is scale. The programme is now being rolled out Europe-wide, with a clear message: under HP and Flex IT, refurbished has become prominent. Michel: “We are taking major steps in professionalising our approach — not just in excellence, but also in process and volume. HP brings the original quality, Flex IT adds the refurbishment expertise, and Microsoft provides the CMAR licence that brings it all together. It’s this combination that makes the partnership so powerful.”

An added boost is that Flex IT recently won the HP Amplify Sustainability Excellence Award. That award did not come out of the blue. ‘’Flex IT was at the forefront of the HP Amplify Impact program,’’ says Michel. ‘’They achieved five stars. That’s only possible if you really have embedded all facets of sustainability in your organisation’’. Aat: “We had to demonstrate everything from CO2 reports to car leasing rules and diversity policy. Everything was reviewed. We show exactly how much CO2 a refurbished laptop saves compared to a new one. So it goes far beyond IT alone: it’s your entire business operations.”

From sustainability to distinctiveness

Circularity needs to be made tangible and financially attractive, both men believe. ‘’We don’t just talk about sustainability – we link concrete values to it,’’ says Michel. “We give a soft commitment on residual value in three to four years. This allows a customer to apply a different depreciation and thus invest smarter.”

Aat: “And we are launching a buyback programme. When buying a new device, we immediately offer to take back the old one. With certified wiping, refurbishment and redeployment through HP Certified Refurbished. This is how we make circularity not only green, but also business-friendly.”

Talking, and now doing

Yet Michel and Aat see that many organisations are still lagging. ‘’Circularity is on the agenda, but not in implementation,’’ says Michel. “We see that partners are now starting to ask. That’s a big difference from a few years ago. But there is still a world to win.” Aat: “There will be a natural selection in the market. Not everyone achieves R2 certification or can show where every part of a device ends up. Customers increasingly want security as well as ESG data for their annual report. You have to be prepared for that.”

Seemingly simple actions can make a big difference. As an example, Aat mentions wrapping laptops. “By wrapping laptops in advance, either universally or with corporate branding, they retain a better cosmetic condition. And thus higher residual value. It prevents friction at the end of the chain. The price often drops only after inspection. But if you know that the exterior remains tidy, you can agree a price upfront. That makes it more reliable for everyone.” HP and Flex cooperate with 3M for this and guarantee that all materials are thermally and technically tested.

From rental to reuse, from residual flow to residual value

The origins of this strong cooperation in the refurbished field lie partly in Flex IT’s large rental pool. During the Covid period, this grew explosively. ‘’We wondered what we do with those devices after rental,’’ Michel says. ‘’That led us to the idea of multi-lifecycle and circularity as a strategic starting point.’’ Legislation also plays a role in this. In France, for instance, there is a mandatory circular purchasing percentage in IT. That put the topic on the agenda at an accelerated pace. “Five years ago, internally at HP, people were still saying: why should we think about second-hand equipment? Now it’s no longer about second-hand. It’s about employability, raw materials and CO2 reduction,” says Michel.

This collaboration between HP and Flex IT offers more than just technology. ‘’We deliver our refurbished products with original Windows licence, through Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher,’’ says Aat. “And we use original HP parts. That makes us unique and gives customers the confidence they need.” According to Michel, that is also where the future lies: “We want to continue to make a difference by combining quality and scalability. But we have to keep educating partners, keep explaining. Because it’s still the case that many people don’t know we also do refurbished.”

This interview was originally conducted by ITchannelPRO and published both in print and online, in Dutch.