Simon Howatson, chief executive of Born Good.

Sunderland based tech specialist re-launches as new IT recycling company

IT recycling company Born Good has launched in the North East to challenge the disposable attitude towards single-life tech and give it a new lease of life.

Formerly known as Rebuyer, the Sunderland based tech specialist has undergone a company-wide transformation to deliver a greater focus on a circular economy and the drive to Net Zero.

Under the new branding, Born Good will work with a range of businesses across the UK and has adopted a pledge that zero per cent of equipment it handles will go to landfill.

During the Covid crisis, the team led by founder Simon Howatson ran the ‘Donate Digital’ campaign which was backed by TV stars Ant and Dec, and provided thousands of refurbished laptops to children in the North East to help them with remote learning.

In the post-Covid world, Born Good has adapted in recognition of the increased priority for companies to deliver on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. It has worked with dozens of companies from Northumbrian Water to Greggs to Huawei, to “breathe new life into redundant equipment”.

Every year, millions of tons of damaged, obsolete or unwanted electronic devices are still discarded as waste. Old IT equipment often ends up on mountains of waste in foreign countries, causing damage to our precious planet.

Nearly 100 per cent of electronic waste is recyclable but the world’s growing mountain of discarded goods weighed in at an estimated 57 million tonnes last year. Less than 20 per cent of e-waste globally is recycled and the UK is in the top 10 of waste producers per capita. Born Good seeks to alleviate this by accepting and repurposing equipment.

Simon Howatson, chief executive of Born Good, commented: “Every business can play a part in facing the challenges of the climate emergency – and we can do it together. We have been at the forefront of safe and sustainable solutions to e-waste since 2016 and we’re looking forward to taking this to the next level under the Born Good banner.

“The level of e-waste is predicted to get worse due to the pandemic surge in home working and purchase of extra IT equipment. We are committed to supporting a circular economy, providing companies with an easy way to reduce their carbon footprint.

“Instead of simply giving hardware to a vendor to dispose of or even pay for disposal, Born Good improves the life cycle of IT tech so that it makes a real difference to businesses, individuals, communities, and the world.”


By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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