The negative
footprint
Understanding Foxway’s Environmental Impact - To comprehensively evaluate Foxway’s environmental footprint, it is essential to consider all aspects of our operations. From sourcing and refurbishing to recycling and reselling IT devices, our mission centers on promoting sustainability. However, certain activities within our value chain and operations inevitably contribute to environmental and social challenges. Acknowledging these challenges is crucial to maintaining transparency and enabling us to track, report, and mitigate our negative impacts. Below, we outline the most material areas of impact alongside a general overview of our footprint.
Waste
Contact Person: John John Nilsson
Total waste volume (2023): 1299 tons
Non hazardous waste: 1286 tons
Hazardous waste: 13 ton
Operational Waste Reduction
The majority of Foxway’s waste originates from packaging materials and chemicals used in operations. To address this, we have launched a comprehensive initiative aligned with EU Taxonomy standards, focusing on:
Reusable Packaging: Prioritizing bulk shipments and extending the lifecycle of cardboard materials.
Waste Reduction Targets: Aiming to reduce operational waste by 30% relative to revenue over the next three years.
Additionally, we are tackling the challenge of waste from customers and trade-in partners. By transforming “waste” into reusable resources and guiding partners on circular practices, we aim to cut this waste stream by at least 50% by 2028.
Unwanted Goods and Scrap Management
Foxway faces challenges in managing unspecified devices and harvested spare parts, often scrapped due to traceability issues, mismatched demand, or costly handling. Functional components like screens, sensors, and lenses are at risk of being discarded despite their usability.
To combat this:
We are refining processes to repurpose these materials in global markets.
We aim to guide, redirect, and utilize unwanted flows of goods to reduce unnecessary scrapping and negative environmental impacts
Packaging Concerns
With nearly 2 million shipments annually, packaging constitutes a significant portion of our waste. By refining tracking systems, adopting reusable solutions, and optimizing logistics, we aim to reduce packaging waste by 30% in the coming years.
Reassessing the
Concept of Waste
At Foxway, we believe the definition of “waste” is outdated. Many products deemed wasteful should never have been produced or represent underutilized resources. Our sustainability team is investigating ways to repurpose these flows and align usage with broader sustainability goals beyond profitability.
Our full waste management strategy and policies are available under the CSRD/Reports section.
Chemicals and the Price of Esthetics in Tech
Contact Person: Kristi Loorits
Total weight of chemical waste: not yet monitored
Waste management of chemicals:Residues of chemicals and their packages are processed or incinerated by a company licensed and specialized in hazardous waste.
PFAS and the Threat of Forever Chemicals
PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), often termed "forever chemicals," pose a growing threat to humanity and the environment. Linked to cancer, DNA damage, and persistent accumulation in ecosystems, PFAS are nearly impossible to remove, mirroring the challenges posed by microplastics. While Foxway does not knowingly use PFAS in its operations, we recognize their prevalence in the tech industry and advocate for a transparent, critical evaluation of all unnecessary chemical usage.
Managing Chemicals in Refurbishment
Chemicals are an unavoidable aspect of repair and refurbishment processes, essential for compliance with regulations, ensuring quality, and extending device lifespans. While chemicals account for only a small share of Foxway’s hazardous waste, their environmental and social implications demand attention. To address this, we are investigating three key areas:
Eliminating or reducing chemical usage where possible.
Identifying sustainable alternatives for essential chemicals.
Challenging the industry's reliance on "must-have" chemicals like VOCs, questioning their necessity.
The Esthetics Dilemma in Tech
In the race to deliver sleek, visually appealing devices, the tech industry often prioritizes design over sustainability, safety, and ethics. Achieving slim profiles and polished finishes frequently involves harmful chemicals like isocyanates and VOCs (e.g., lead, toluene, and acetone). These substances, while enhancing durability and esthetics, carry significant risks:
Employee Health: Improper handling can lead to respiratory issues, cancer, and other severe health problems.
Environmental Impact: Poor disposal contaminates ecosystems and endangers communities.
This pursuit of beauty often comes at a heavy cost—exacerbating resource use, pollution, and risks to human and planetary health.
Refurbished Tech: Striking a Balance
Refurbishing extends the lifecycle of devices, reducing raw material extraction and chemical use. However, refurbishment companies face a pivotal choice:
Prioritize Esthetics: Use harmful chemicals to achieve “like-new” appearances, maximizing sales and margins.
Emphasize Functionality: Focus on extending lifespans without compromising safety, even at the expense of visual perfection.
For example, while polishing screens and repainting devices can improve appearance, they involve chemical exposure risks if safety protocols (e.g., PPE, ventilation) are not strictly followed. Similarly, soldering often uses lead-based materials due to cost and ease, despite safer alternatives being available. Companies must balance profitability with employee safety, environmental stewardship, and ethical responsibility.
Carbon Emissions
Contact Person: Kai-Riin Kriisa
All numbers in (tCO2e) tons of CO2 equivalents
Total reported CO2e emissions (Scope 1-3): 426078,7
Scope 1: 246,6 (0,05%)
Scope 2: 188,1 (0,04%)
Scope 3: (1-7,9,11-12): 425643,9 (99,91%)
Please see our latest Sustainability Report for exact breakdown of our carbon emissions profile.
Our Operations and Production
(Scope 1 & 2)
To operate our business, Foxway relies on energy and fuels to heat facilities and power vehicles. While Scope 1 & 2 emissions represent less than 0.1% of our total carbon footprint, they directly influence the production carbon footprint of refurbished devices, impacting competitiveness.
Energy use and vehicle choices fall under Foxway’s direct control and are clear targets for reduction. Currently, operations in leased facilities in Estonia and Denmark still depend on fossil-based fuels for gas heating, contributing to unwanted non-renewable energy use.
Valued added reseller (VAR)- DaaS and circular services
For most value-added resellers and circular tech providers, carbon footprints are heavily influenced by upstream Scope 3 emissions. Key contributors include:
Production of Sold Goods: Carbon-intensive processes such as mining in the Global South and manufacturing in South-East Asia, particularly China, where carbon-intensive energy grids dominate.
Logistics: Global fossil-based shipping and local rapid delivery demands still involve air-based shipping, driven by traditional service level agreements (SLAs).
The use of sold goods in our VAR business primarily occurs in the Nordics, benefiting from renewable energy use and resulting in a slightly less carbon-intensive footprint.
Circular business – Refurbishment, Repair, ITAD, Trade-in program
Scope 3 emissions dominate, particularly in the “use of sold goods” category, as 80% of Foxway’s sold goods are second-hand.
While refurbished devices contribute to emissions, especially in markets reliant on carbon-heavy grids like Germany, the UK, and the UAE, Foxway maintains that refurbished products present a significantly better planetary outcome. By extending device lifecycles, we reduce the need for new production, preventing the scrapping of functional devices and mitigating environmental harm on a global scale.
Resource Consumption
Contact Person: Kai-Riin Kriisa
Estimated Procured Volume Sold (2023): 6,850 tons
The resource consumption associated with Foxway’s upstream procurement is significant, reflecting the broader impact of the tech industry. A single smartphone, for example, contains around 55 minerals, many of which are difficult to mine and refine. Mining these minerals requires vast amounts of water and energy, often relying on resource-intensive energy systems, further amplifying environmental strain.
The production, repair, and refurbishment of devices inherently depend on these finite and rapidly depleting resources, exacerbating the challenges of sustainable resource management. While our degrowth-aligned business model prioritizes repair and circularity, we remain partially reliant on spare and upgrade parts sourced from the same value chain as new devices.
Verifying consistent data on the value chain’s resource use remains challenging. However, Foxway is committed to improving transparency and providing best-effort data on metrics like ore and water usage in the near future.
To explore the broader implications of resource consumption in the tech industry, read more in the section: “The Real Cost of Technology.”
Supply and
Value Chain
Contact Persons: Kai-Riin Kriisa (Stakeholder management and complete value chain); Sonia Braska (Supply chain) and Stefan Nilsson (Negative social and planetary consequences of AI and tech)
Estimated Procured Volume Sold (2023): 6,850 tons
The tech industry’s supply chain is fraught with negative social impacts, including poor living conditions, human rights violations, child labor, conflict minerals, and modern slavery. Despite decades of policy efforts, certifications, and demands for conflict-free supply chains, little substantial progress has been made.
Foxway recognizes these systemic issues and actively encourages partners and customers to move beyond superficial certifications and engage in meaningful discussions on mitigating these problems.
Foxway aims to in 2025/2026 provide a platform for transparency and collaboration, empowering users and partners to address these concerns and build actionable insights.
Negative Social Consequences of Technology
The societal impacts of technology usage are as concerning as those stemming from its supply chain. Foxway is deeply aware of the negative effects, particularly among young users. By offering affordable second-hand tech, we contribute to broader accessibility—but this accessibility also introduces challenges, including excessive screen time and exposure to harmful digital environments.
Packaging and Transport
Contact Person: Rainer Räkk
Number of Deliveries and Packages (2023): Over 1 million
EU Taxonomy Alignment: Approx. 30%
Packaging
Foxway processes over one million shipments annually, relying on various packaging solutions, including cardboard, plastic wraps, pallets, and fillers. While necessary for protection, these materials pose significant environmental challenges:
Cardboard: Though often recyclable and sustainably sourced, cardboard production drives deforestation, habitat loss, and reduced biodiversity, impacting carbon sequestration and accelerating climate change.
Plastic Wraps: Derived from fossil fuels, plastics have high carbon footprints and persist in ecosystems, breaking down into harmful microplastics. Despite recycling efforts, processing inefficiencies limit the effectiveness of this solution.
Over-Packaging: Protective fillers, excessive padding, and single-use materials add to waste streams, exacerbating environmental impacts
The Impact of Unboxing Culture
Modern unboxing culture prioritizes aesthetics over necessity, leading to excessive and wasteful packaging. Key concerns include:
Overuse of single-use and multi-material packaging, complicating recycling processes.
Increased resource consumption and waste production.
Reinforced consumerism by promoting impulse buying and shorter product lifecycles, undermining sustainability efforts.
Transports
Foxway operates in a global logistics network, shipping to over 130 countries and importing from key vendors. The transport of raw materials, primarily from mining regions to manufacturing hubs in Asia, and the subsequent distribution to Europe, is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, contributing to:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Shipping, trucking, and air transport drive significant CO₂ emissions.
Local Pollution: Port cities and logistics hubs face air pollution and health risks due to transport activities.
Ecosystem Disruption: Risks include invasive species from ships and biodiversity loss.
Challenges with Fast Delivery
Consumer demand for rapid delivery accelerates reliance on carbon-intensive air transport, which emits 3 to 8 times more CO₂ than road transport. For instance, shipments from Estonia to countries like Germany, France, or Spain could use road transport if delivery timeframes extended from 1-2 days to 3-4 days, reducing emissions significantly.
However, current sales channels and logistics models often fail to provide sustainable options, forcing reliance on air freight. This undermines sustainability goals, especially when refurbishing efforts are offset by the carbon footprint of fast delivery logistics.
The Path Forward
Foxway is committed to reevaluating packaging and transport strategies, balancing consumer expectations with sustainability goals. By advocating for reasonable delivery timelines, adopting reusable packaging, and prioritizing road transport where feasible, we aim to reduce emissions and align operations with a circular economy vision.