The Importance of Common Standards for the Reuse and Resale of Equipment in a Competitive European Secondary Market

“At its heart, Free ICT Europe works with legislators to provide an equal and opposing voice on certain issues,” says Astrid Wynne, referring to the fight for greater repairability of digital equipment. “In working group meetings we are involved in, you’ll hear major manufacturers say things like, 'Full reporting is impossible.’” She adds, “Free ICT Europe exists to present the other side of the coin to legislators and prove that it is possible.”

Astrid Wynne works for Techbuyer, a company specializing in buying, refurbishing, and reselling enterprise IT equipment. “We have worked with Free ICT Europe for years now,” she explains. Her role focuses on researching material efficiency and energy performance across different generations of hardware. This expertise led to her invitation to join the board of Free ICT Europe, where she contributes sustainability insights to the foundation’s political advocacy.

Despite her firm stance on the need for manufacturers to adapt, Astrid Wynne acknowledges their challenges: “To be fair to manufacturers, if understanding the secondary market isn’t their core business, how would they know it’s possible? Free ICT Europe ensures that voice is heard.”

The foundation’s key objectives include challenging restrictive practices by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), ensuring serviceability is prioritized in the Digital Agenda, promoting common standards for reuse and resale, and pushing for contract transparency to protect end users from unfair practices. Free ICT Europe believes that embracing circularity is not just about sustainability, it could also create jobs in repair, refurbishment, and recycling across industries.

To meet these goals, the foundation actively participates in EU legislative working groups, particularly those concerning the Ecodesign Directive. Initially focused on energy efficiency, this EU regulation is now evolving to support independent repair, resale, and other circular economy principles. The process involves studies, consultations, draft proposals, and revisions. “Free ICT Europe has been involved with the Ecodesign Directive since its first iteration and is now engaged in the working group for the second phase,” details Astrid Wynne.

Although the foundation primarily focuses on the B2B ICT sector, it also collaborates with the European Right to Repair Coalition, which advocates for consumer rights. “One of the things Free ICT Europe has emphasized in right-to-repair legislation is that if you ignore enterprise IT, you overlook more than two-thirds of the problem, as most spending comes from businesses,” Astrid Wynne insists.

The obstacles to circularity

To outline its recommendations clearly, Free ICT Europe has published a Manifesto with 11 key proposals. Among the first concerns is the lock-in effect, which restricts choice for large end-users and independent repair and resale. The foundation advocates for a ban on “contractual, hardware, or software techniques that prevent or limit independent repair and maintenance outside of manufacturers’ (OEM) authorized channels.”

Another major challenge is intellectual property (IP) restrictions. The lifespan of IP rights (70+ years) vastly exceeds the support period for ICT hardware and software (typically 10-12 years). This imbalance, according to Free ICT Europe, creates an unfair market where users lose control over how long they can use their products. That’s why one of the manifesto’s recommendations is: “Create standards for software licensing and maintenance to guarantee the freedom to choose and license agreements to allow the transfer of (hardware connected) licenses.” The foundation also highlights the need for refurbishment standards to scale up the secondary market.

Another crucial recommendation focuses on the pricing of replacement parts: “Ensure fair pricing and an open market for replacement parts, including non-OEM components, to foster competition and provide alternative solutions.”

Manufacturers are more open to circularity

“One thing that has changed significantly since I started working in this sector is that manufacturers now have their own refurbishment services,” notes Astrid Wynne. “When I first joined, they were quite hostile toward refurbishment, claiming it wasn’t safe. Now, they all advocate circular economy principles.”

A case in point is HP France, highlighted at GreenForum Paris in 2023 and 2024. Recognizing the limits of the current economic model and anticipating stricter regulations, HP France has pivoted towards circularity. In 2023, it introduced its first range of refurbished business PCs, officially guaranteed by HP France - a major shift in industry perspective.

This growing acceptance of reuse and resale is also evident in government procurement policies. “I’ve had numerous discussions with government buyers—not about whether they should adopt refurbished IT, but how to implement it,” Astrid Wynne explains. “They ask, ‘What procurement rules should apply to the secondary market?’ ‘How do we manage availability?’ ‘What standards should be followed?’”

While this shift signals progress, Astrid Wynne remains cautious: “There’s more momentum toward reuse and product life extension than before, but there’s still work to do.”

2025: a challenge to stay on course

As geopolitical uncertainties grow and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) faces potential revisions, the path forward has become more unpredictable. While Astrid Wynne is optimistic about ongoing EU projects, she is less confident about new initiatives. “In EU commissions, long-term projects will likely continue, but launching new ones has become much harder,” she warns.

Navigating these changes requires persistence. “We have to keep our direction in an environment that's shifting slightly,” she continues. “In the previous EU Parliament, there was greater consensus on sustainability goals. Now, we’re dealing with more extreme political positions, making alignment harder.”

For Astrid Wynne, the key is to remain clear about Free ICT Europe’s mission and to continually demonstrate the sense of what they are talking about. “Sustainability is increasingly politicized, even when we’re talking about clear scientific facts,” she emphasizes.

In this post-truth era, the battle is twofold: ensuring the message remains fact-based and continuing to convince businesses to take ecological issues seriously. It’s a tough challenge in today’s climate, but Astrid Wynne remains resolute: “We have to keep our North Star.”

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Astrid Wynne is a board member at Free ICT Europe andHead of Sustainability of Techbuyer . She is also member of the GreenTech ForumBrussels 2025 Program Committee.