How can companies use IT resources more intelligently while reducing costs, resource dependencies, and environmental impacts?

This short e‑learning introduces the basic idea of circular economy in the context of information technology. You will look at why IT devices are often replaced long before they reach their technical limits and how organizations can extend device lifetimes and use digital resources more efficiently.

The course provides a concise overview of resource use, electronic waste, and the life‑cycle perspective of digital technologies. Building on this foundation, it introduces the 10R strategies as a practical framework for improving everyday IT decisions.

Short reflection questions and exercises help you connect these ideas with your own work environment and think about where circular approaches could be applied in practice

Why are many IT devices replaced even though they still work perfectly?

In this introduction, you will explore how device turnover, software dependencies, and electronic waste are connected to broader resource flows in the global economy. You will also get a short introduction to circular economy and the life‑cycle perspective used to understand where environmental impacts occur across the lifespan of digital technologies.

The aim is to provide a clear starting point for understanding why circular thinking is becoming increasingly relevant for IT decisions.

Duration: ~ 10 minutes

How can circular economy ideas be applied in everyday IT decisions?

This session introduces the 10R strategies, a structured framework for rethinking how digital products and resources are designed, used, and managed.

You will explore how the strategies Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle, and Recover help organizations reduce resource consumption and extend the lifetime of IT equipment.

Short practice questions and exercises invite you to reflect on your own work environment and consider where devices, tools, or processes could be used more efficiently or for longer.

Duration: ~37 minutes