Amazon expands reverse logistics facilities to extend the life of data centre equipment
Amazon has expanded its European reverse logistics programme through re:Cycle Reverse Logistics, which operates facilities in Dublin, that test and repair equipment from AWS data centres. The facilities extend the life of data centre hardware and other electronics so they can be reused.
This circular economy initiative supports Amazon’s path to reach net-zero carbon by ensuring fewer new components need to be produced, saving raw materials and energy. While the operation is predominantly focused on reuse, where waste is generated, zero waste goes to landfill; instead, it is sent for high-end recycling.
At these facilities specialised trolleys are powered by robots which can move up to two tonnes of equipment, while bespoke machines and processes are leveraged to enable the reuse of equipment and components, and the recovery of precious metals found in the heart of circuit boards and computer components.
It’s through these operations the re:Cycle Reverse Logistics facilities can give a second life to hardware like computer processer chips, RAM, and network cards. The reuse and recovery of high value materials and components is a core part of the AWS reverse logistics programme, and these facilities support AWS’s data centre operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The re:Cycle Reverse Logistics facilities in Dublin, together with AWS’s manufacturing sites where servers are assembled, have created over 850 jobs in Ireland so far, employing individuals from all backgrounds, from engineers to those fresh out of high school. The tech industry has always been an important part of the Irish economy, and reducing carbon is a priority for the country which plans to halve emissions by 2030.
AWS has three ways to ensure the circular economy is woven into the lifecycle of all the equipment used in its data centres: designing reusable and lower carbon rack systems from the outset; keeping equipment operating efficiently; and recovering value from securely decommissioned equipment.
It’s in recovering value that specialised reverse logistics vendors, like re:Cycle Reverse Logistics, play the biggest role by helping to consolidate, test, repair, and recirculate functional equipment back into AWS’s inventory or to third parties to be sold for reuse. AWS’s reverse logistics partners enable it to optimise component reuse across its data centres, taking decommissioned equipment from one facility and redeploying it to serve demand elsewhere. Reuse within AWS data centres is prioritised before selling to third parties. If equipment cannot be reused by AWS or sold on the second-hand market, then precious metals and critical raw materials are recovered and sent for high end recycling.
As a direct result of AWS’s reverse logistics programme in 2023, 14.6 million hardware components globally were diverted from landfills by being recycled or sold into the second-hand market for reuse. Re:Cycle Reverse Logistics facilities in Ireland are the company’s first to open outside the US, and these facilities will continue to be an important part of how AWS manages its data centre infrastructure and achieves its circular economy objectives.
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