Sustainability and Software Support
February 13, 2025
3 min read
February 13, 2025
3 min read
The world is changing, and while there have been positive effects of these changes, there have also been negatives. Advances in technology have brought us access and capabilities we never thought possible before, but they have also caused a huge increase in e-waste. Growing digitalization has brought this to the forefront, and it’s a problem that we might not be paying enough attention to. Increasingly, it’s imperative to discuss sustainability and software support in the same sentence.
E-waste is one of the fastest growing sources of waste in the world. A large part of this is due to consistent and needless forced upgrades from OEM software support who seem adamant on speeding up the negative impact of unsustainable support on our environment.
Leftover hardware from companies being forced to upgrade systems and software usually ends up in one of the increasingly over-burdened landfills available. According to TechHQ, the United Nations (UN) reports a record 61.3 million metric tons of e-waste was generated worldwide in 2023. Another major UN study predicts that global e-waste will become the world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream by 2030.
Unfortunately, these forced upgrades have become standard practice for many of big tech companies. Often, they cut the cycles of their system support short to maximize profits by forcing customers to either pay to upgrade to continue support or risk going unsupported.
When customers are forced to move to new products or change their current equipment to suit OEM software support requirements, it results in more left behind hardware.
As we now know, this hardware then becomes an issue in and of itself, not to mention the increased emissions and energy consumption associated with system and server upgrades. The Shift Project Report states that global digital energy consumption is increasing by around 9% every year. Quite simply, these practices are unsustainable, and something needs to be done.
At Origina, sustainability and eco-friendly practices have always been paramount. Our model is focused on extending the lifecycle of systems and software through expert maintenance and support, not only saving huge costs and preventing loss of business momentum but also preventing years of unnecessary e-waste build-up.
We utilize decades of software expertise to ensure you get the most out of your systems and feel under no pressure or stress to make sweeping changes that you, and the world as a whole, don’t need or want. It’s a business model that benefits everyone and one that we believe in.
With the current state of the world, many industries are looking at more eco-friendly and sustainable practices, and why should the tech industry be any different? Origina as a company believes the industry needs to take more responsibility, and we have always been first to put our foot forward for change.
Technology is growing fast, and with it, the impact it leaves on the world. Origina’s mission is to ensure that impact is a positive one. It’s not just our focus on more sustainable software support practices that set us apart in the software world. We truly believe in giving back. We have partnered with multiple leaders for change, including Free ICT, Free ICT USA, and This Spaceship Earth, to help push progress to a truly circular economy in tech.
With Origina, it’s not just talk. We have always believed in walking the walk when it comes to change. We think the tech industry can and should do better and every step we have taken since we were founded has been in service of proving that to be the case.
Gain insight into industry-only news, access to webinars, tips and tricks, blog posts, podcasts, and guides, surrounding topics like cybersecurity, reducing software support and maintenance costs and much more, all delivered to your inbox each month.
LEARN MORE