Managing outdated IT assets is no longer just about disposal.
For IT leaders, it affects budgets, compliance, sustainability goals, and even corporate reputation. Traditional approaches often inflate costs and fail to recover value from assets that could be remarketed or refurbished. Through Compugen Finance Inc.’s Green4Good program, one major Canadian energy provider reimagined its IT asset disposition process.
By redesigning how devices were collected, sorted, and prepared for remarketing, the company reduced processing costs by nearly half, improved asset value recovery, and demonstrated that retiring technology can drive measurable financial, environmental, and community impact.
The Challenge
The customer’s existing IT asset disposition process was inefficient and costly. Items such as monitors, cables, and other peripherals were being collected and shipped alongside higher-value assets like laptops and desktops. These items carried little to no resale value but added significant weight and bulk to shipments, driving up pickup, handling, and processing costs.
Another challenge was incomplete devices. Laptops frequently arrived without adaptors, which are critical for refurbishment and resale. Without adaptors, resale value dropped dramatically, leaving the customer with limited returns from its technology investments. This combination of unnecessary bulk and incomplete hardware reduced the value recovered from the program and created frustration for both the business and its end users.
The Opportunity
The organization recognized that IT asset disposition could be more than a back-end compliance exercise. By modernizing the process, they had the chance to:
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Reduce the overall cost of processing and shipping devices.
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Streamline collection and sorting to exclude items with little or no resale value.
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Increase value returned by ensuring complete devices were available for refurbishment.
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Improve efficiency, sustainability outcomes, and stakeholder confidence.
With ESG goals rising in importance and budgets under scrutiny, the timing was right to engage Compugen’s Green4Good program as a partner in driving measurable impact.
The Solution
Compugen Finance Inc. introduced a tailored optimization of the Green4Good program to meet the customer’s needs. The solution addressed both process inefficiencies and behavioural gaps that were limiting results.
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Smarter collection: High-value assets such as laptops and desktops were separated from low-value peripherals, reducing shipment volume and expense.
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Cost-effective recycling: Monitors, cables, and wires were directed into dedicated recycling channels, keeping them out of primary shipments and cutting weight.
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Adaptor accountability: Updated checklists, end-user reminders, and prompts at drop-off points reinforced the importance of returning adaptors with laptops. Devices missing adaptors were tagged with a “defective” sticker and sorted separately at the processing facility. This ensured refurbishable devices could be prioritized, while incomplete assets were clearly identified.
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Walk-up and drop-off changes: At the “Walk-Up Window” and other return points, staff reminded users in person about including adaptors. This helped address the problem at its source and improved compliance over time.
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Collaborative workflow design: Compugen Finance convened program managers, logistics staff, and technical experts in a series of planning meetings. Together they developed a streamlined workflow that tackled the adaptor challenge and clarified sorting responsibilities.
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Phased rollout: The process was piloted in select regions before full implementation. This allowed for testing, refinement, and risk reduction before scaling.
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Structured communications: A communications plan including direct outreach, email reminders, and updated documentation ensured end users understood the new process. Consistency in messaging helped reduce missed adaptors and reinforced proper sorting behaviour.
This combination of operational redesign, stakeholder collaboration, and end-user engagement created a disciplined process that was easier to manage, more efficient, and better aligned with the customer’s business goals.
The Outcome
The results were clear, measurable, and sustained over time:
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48% reduction in per-asset processing and shipping costs.
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Higher recovery of resale value by ensuring more complete and refurbishable devices.
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Improved efficiency in sorting and prioritizing assets for remarketing.
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Greater satisfaction among stakeholders, who saw stronger returns and greater confidence in how assets were being managed.
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Sustained improvements that continued to reduce costs and increase value well beyond the initial rollout.
By solving both the cost drivers and the adaptor issue, the Green4Good program transformed asset disposition from a drain on resources into a value-adding process.
The Future
The success of this optimization established a foundation for ongoing improvement. Green4Good is now exploring partnerships with manufacturers to further streamline processes and new asset-tracking technologies to improve visibility and reporting. The program also gives businesses the option to direct resale proceeds to charitable organizations, turning old technology into community impact. For this customer, the project created not only financial savings but also a stronger alignment with sustainability and social responsibility goals.
The Relationship
For more than a decade, Compugen has partnered closely with this leading Canadian energy provider, guided by a shared commitment to putting the customer’s priorities, culture, and strategy first. Operating in a highly regulated, unionized industry within a larger corporate organization, they needed a partner who could understand the complexity of their environment and bring forward ideas proven across similar enterprises.
As their Technology Ally, Compugen has stood beside them in both critical situations and strategic initiatives to keep systems reliable, secure, and aligned with long-term objectives. Our consultative approach means asking the right questions, validating each decision against future cloud and security scenarios, and ensuring technology is adopted by design — not by default.
This ongoing collaboration reflects a true partnership model: one where Compugen helps translate business needs into technology solutions that are innovative, cost-efficient, and future-ready.
IT leaders do not need to choose between cost savings and sustainability. With Compugen’s Green4Good program, you can reduce IT asset disposition costs, strengthen compliance, and achieve measurable ESG outcomes.
Connect with Compugen experts today to learn how Green4Good can benefit your organization.
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