Trill Impact partners with Kimbrer Computer to scale impact and growth within Circular IT
December 13th, 2022.
Trill Impact partners with Kimbrer Computer to accelerate the company’s positive impact and growth. Kimbrer Computer is a trusted B2B supplier of refurbished IT Enterprise hardware. With sustainability at the very heart of the company’s circular business model, Kimbrer helps customers in more than 80 countries to reduce the negative environmental impact of the world’s increasing digital infrastructure.
Kimbrer Computer was founded by Peter Tølbøll Hansen and Morten Nøhr in 1995. Since then, it has grown to become one of Denmark’s leading suppliers of used and refurbished hardware. Kimbrer Computer purchases used enterprise hardware from suppliers which is then carefully sorted. In the next step, the company securely erases data, tests, refurbishes, cleans and then stores the refurbished hardware in its warehouse and ultimately sells to B2B customers in over 80 countries. On average, 96% of the hardware parts bought by Kimbrer Computer are either reused or resold on the global B2B market.
Refurbished IT devices have up to 90% lower CO2 footprint than new IT devices. The company therefore contributes to the circular economy by extending the life of enterprise IT hardware, reducing CO2 footprint, raw materials, e-waste, energy and water usage in comparison to the production of new hardware. As such, in 2021, Kimbrer saved 7,000 tons of CO2 for its customers with 400,000 used and refurbished units sold, equivalent to the energy consumption of more than 450 average Danish households.
Sustainability is a core value at Kimbrer Computer. Since 2020, the company has reduced its carbon emissions significantly. Last year it released its first carbon accounting and ESG reports and also became ISO 14001 certified in environmental management.
“We are excited to join forces with Trill Impact. They are a great match with Kimbrer Computer as our values and ambitions on both sustainability and growth align. Trill Impact wishes to build on our existing strong foundation enabling us to provide even more refurbished hardware to customers globally. Trill Impact has the experience and expertise to support both our growth and sustainability journeys towards growing the business, serving more customers, and scaling our positive impact on environment, people, and society,” states Bjarne Aarup, CEO of Kimbrer Computer.
Nina Hoffmann von Holten, Investment Director at Trill Impact Advisory, adds, “We see a great potential in Kimbrer Computer both when it comes to scaling positive impact and continuing international expansion. Today, 24 out of 27 EU countries fail to meet the Union’s e-waste recycling targets. Trill Impact would like to change that number – and anticipate that Kimbrer Computer can play an important role in reducing e-waste and CO2 emissions. We believe that circular business models – like Kimbrer Computer’s – will be key in reaching the sustainability targets. Also, we think that the market for circular IT will continue to grow at a high and increasing pace. In our view, Kimbrer Computer has the potential to be a European leader and act as a successful consolidator within the industry, applying the same best practices when it comes to sustainability to these new family members.”
Sources include:
Kimbrer Computer - Sustainability Report.pdf
Waste statistics - electrical and electronic equipment - Statistics Explained (europa.eu)
E-waste in the EU: facts and figures (infographic) | News | European Parliament (europa.eu)
Media contact:
Trill Impact
Nina Hoffmann von Holten, Director at Trill Impact Advisory
Email: nina.vonholten@trillimpact.com
Kimbrer Computer
Bjarne Aarup, CEO at Kimbrer Computer
Email: bjarne@kimbrer.com
Kimbrer Computer ApS (www.kimbrer.dk) is a leading European supplier of used and refurbished IT hardware based in Aars, Denmark founded by Peter Tølbøll Hansen and Morten Nøhr in 1995. As a Circular IT specialist, the company offers a wide range of used and refurbished servers, storage systems and network products from leading manufacturers and operates an efficient and modernized warehouse serving more than 14,000 customers in 80 countries. Thereby, Kimbrer Computer creates a significant positive impact by saving significant energy and reducing CO2 emissions through its offering of refurbished pre-used hardware.
Trill Impact (www.trillimpact.com) is a pioneering Impact House with EUR 1.2 billion in assets under management across its investment strategies. With a team of more than 35 experienced professionals based in Sweden, Germany, Luxemburg and Denmark, Trill Impact aims to become a force for positive change and realize its vision of delivering real returns and lasting impact for the benefit of investors, businesses, and society at large.
SDG and Impact Contribution: Electrical and electronic equipment are one of the fastest growing waste streams and Information and Computer Technology (ICT) equipment is the third largest contributor accounting for 14% of total e-waste. Kimbrer Computer tackles that by extending the lifetime and delays the obsolescence of ICT products, and in that way reduces e-waste growth and the CO2 footprint from the extended life of devices. Therefore, Kimbrer has a company-wide potential contribution to SDG 12.4: Environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, SDG 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse and SDG 13: Climate Action.
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only. All statements and opinions included herein are subject to change as economic and market conditions dictate. There can be no assurance that any views, outlooks, or forward-looking statements will come to pass.
