The Codeo Group, a European pioneer in the reconditioning of professional IT equipment since 2005 (200 employees in 6 European countries, €33 million in sales by 2021), is inaugurating a 7,200sqm business hub in Rillieux-la-Pape dedicated to the reuse of professional IT equipment, in partnership with 3 local players: ENVIE, Ecodair and LM Eco Production. With a processing capacity of over 500,000 items of equipment per year, this “Circular Economy Hub”, the only one of its kind in Europe, will enable :

• Large companies: to centralize under a single roof the entire re-use chain for their IT equipment, thus facilitating and industrializing the take-back/recovery of their unused equipment, the maintenance of their fleet, the reconditioning, data erasure and recycling of their computers, smartphones, barcode scanners, cash registers, payment terminals, etc;
• To the region: to be a vector of attractiveness and employment, and to promote the region at European level as a major player in the re-use of professional IT equipment.

As we enter the fourth industrial revolution, with its emphasis on sober consumption and usage, companies are more than ever on the lookout for solutions to decarbonize their digital footprint:

• The digital sector is responsible for 2.5% of France’s carbon footprint (source);
• 79% of the environmental impact of digital technology comes from terminals: computers, smartphones, tablets and other screens, far ahead of data centers (16%) and telecoms networks (5%) (source ADEME);
• 80% of the environmental impact of IT equipment is generated during manufacture (source ADEME);
• In 2021, 54 million tonnes of WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment – were produced worldwide, and this figure will double by 2050; and less than 40% of this WEEE is reused or recycled, the rest being landfilled (source ADEME).

This context, combined with the shortage of electronic components and budgetary pressures, makes refurbishing an innovative solution to help companies achieve sustainable growth:

• The global refurbished market is estimated to be worth between 50 and 60 billion euros by 2022 (growing by 15 to 20% a year);3 out of 4 CEOs say they want to deploy Circular Economy models that minimize their carbon impact (United Nations/Accenture report 10/2021);
• A law aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of digital has been passed by parliament in 2021 to require local authorities to include up to 20% refurbished in their IT purchases.

A pioneer in the re-use of professional IT equipment since 2005, the Codeo Group is recognized throughout Europe for its historic expertise in the purchase of second-hand IT equipment from companies, functional and aesthetic refurbishment, maintenance and resale of reconditioned industrial equipment (barcodes, payment terminals, cash terminals).

Since 2017, the Codeo Group has been diversifying its expertise around office / mobile ranges via the creation of subsidiary Remober and medical equipment via Codeo Medical.

On the strength of a business model recognized in France and Europe, and in order to respond to the ecological and economic challenges facing major companies, the Codeo Group has joined forces with 3 local partners* to create the 1st skills cluster around reuse and the Social and Solidarity Economy in France.

Located in Rillieux-la-Pape (69), the “Circular Economy Hub” boasts technical and logistical capabilities that are unique on the market:

• 8 million euros of investment;
• A 7,200 sqm building (1,400 pallet storage, 600sqm technical laboratory);
• A processing capacity of 500,000 items of equipment per year;
• A re-use rate of up to 90% depending on product range (and 10% recycling);
• 100 on-site employees, including 50 repair and reconditioning experts and
• 25 people on work reintegration schemes.