In every UAE office, damaged electronics tend to accumulate quietly: a laptop with a cracked screen, a barcode scanner that won’t turn on, a phone that stopped charging, a power bank that looks “puffy,” a small UPS that failed during a power event. The challenge is not just disposal. Damaged items are harder to store […]
NIST 800-88 Explained for UAE Organizations: Clear vs Purge vs Destroy When Retiring Devices When teams say “we wiped the device,” they may be describing anything from a quick factory reset to full physical destruction. For IT asset retirement, that ambiguity is risky. NIST Special Publication 800-88 is a widely used, government-issued framework for media
Office moves and renovations are one of the most common reasons businesses end up with unmanaged electronic waste. During a relocation, fit-out, or refurbishment, old equipment is removed quickly, stored temporarily, and handled by multiple parties. That’s when items get mixed, tracking is lost, and devices are treated like general waste simply because teams are
Office IT refresh cycles are routine in the UAE—laptops get replaced, storage gets upgraded, access devices get swapped, and old equipment starts piling up in server rooms, storage cabinets, and unused desks. The operational side of refreshes is usually well planned: procurement, deployment, and onboarding. The “offboarding” side often isn’t. That gap creates avoidable risk.
The “hidden” e-waste most offices don’t track When UAE businesses think about e-waste, the first items that come to mind are usually laptops, desktops, monitors, and phones. Those are obvious. What often gets missed is the layer of “smart office” and IoT equipment that quietly accumulates across facilities, meeting rooms, retail sites, warehouses, and remote
How the UAE’s EPR Rules Will Impact Corporate E-Waste Management Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is becoming an increasingly important part of global waste-management and sustainability frameworks. In the UAE, EPR is now firmly part of the national conversation around environmental responsibility, circular economy principles, and long-term waste reduction. For organizations operating in the UAE, the
Lithium-ion batteries have become standard equipment in modern workplaces. They power laptops and tablets, help teams stay powered during travel and on-site work, support field operations through cordless tools, and provide continuity through UPS systems and backup packs. As more devices become portable and battery-powered, the volume of battery-containing equipment moving through offices, warehouses, retail
As UAE businesses continue to modernize their IT infrastructure, the volume of retired electronic equipment is increasing. Servers, laptops, desktops, storage devices, and networking equipment often contain sensitive corporate and personal data even after they are no longer in use. Improper handling of end-of-life IT assets can expose organizations to data-security risks, compliance issues, and
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2026 took place 11–15 January at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, under the theme “The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go.” The event brought together policymakers, business leaders, innovators, and investors to focus on how interconnected systems—energy, technology, finance, and supply chains—can drive measurable sustainability outcomes. WAT attended ADSW 2026 to stay
The circular economy has become a central pillar of the UAE’s long-term sustainability strategy. As organizations across the country work to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency, the responsible management of electronic waste is playing an increasingly important role. Electronic devices contain materials that require careful handling at the end of their lifecycle. When managed