Royal Recognition, Real Impact: How KOcycle is Redefining Sustainable ITAD—Powered by Blancco

Recognized with the U.K.’s most prestigious business honor, among the highest-ranking B-Corps in the ITAD sector, and celebrating 8 years in business—KOcycle has never been better positioned to make the case that sustainability and security aren’t trade-offs. They’re the strategy.

With Blancco as its exclusive data erasure partner since day one, KOcycle has built a business that puts responsible IT lifecycle management at the center of the circular economy—and the results speak for themselves.

Download case study

Highlights

Supported by Blancco data erasure solutions, KOcycle has:

• Achieved the King's Award for Enterprise in Sustainability—the U.K.’s highest business accolade, awarded to fewer than 0.001% of U.K. businesses in 2026*
• Cut device processing time from 15 minutes to just 4 minutes—a 73% reduction—powered by Blancco IBR and Autopilot
• Saved over 5 billion litres of drinking water and 33 million kg of mined materials through second-life laptop remarketing in 2025 alone
• Recycled 172,855 kg of technical equipment back into the circular economy in the last year alone
• Maintained an unwavering ‘0% to landfill’ commitment across all processed assets

^{*27 Sustainable Development recipients out of 5.7 million UK private sector businesses (King’s Awards for Enterprise, The Gazette, supplement to issue 65058, 6 May 2025; ONS/House of Commons Library, Business Population Estimates, January 2025). Percentage calculated by authors.}

That foundation is what the King’s Award judging panel looks for. The process is exhaustive, covering how a business operates, what it can prove, and whether its credentials hold up to scrutiny at every level. For KOcycle, that meant demonstrating everything from its circular economy processes and environmental commitments to the security standards underpinning them.

That last point is where Blancco’s role became central. At KOcycle, data security and sustainability are the same discipline. Certified, verified erasure is what allows an asset to be remarketed, donated, or returned to the circular economy. KOcycle’s Gold Partnership with Blancco formed a direct and evidenced part of its submission, with the security credentials strengthening every sustainability claim in the application.

The Challenge: The Unglamorous Engine of the Circular Economy

Data security is a looming concern as businesses rely on critical and complex IT hardware. Throughout an asset’s lifecycle, enterprise leaders must grapple with reducing risk and adhering to a growing list of data protection regulations. Yet when it comes to managing end-of-life IT, enterprises face mounting supply costs and a growing e-waste crisis.

For Hayley Knott, Head of Marketing at KOcycle, the bigger story is what ITAD is becoming. “People often think ITAD is the unglamorous end-of-life bit at the end of the cycle. But actually, it’s now forming a really intrinsic part of the circular economy—helping to fuel the innovative AI boom.”

The AI surge driving demand for new infrastructure is creating real pressure on the supply of rare earth metals and raw materials. As procurement teams struggle to source components, the materials already sitting in end-of-life kit are becoming increasingly valuable. KOcycle is already seeing this play out: demand for recovered RAM from data center equipment has grown significantly over the past year, driven directly by AI-related supply chain shortages.

The opportunity is clear. Businesses that treat retired IT as a source of recoverable materials are better placed to support their own supply chains, reduce procurement costs, and contribute meaningfully to the circular economy. KOcycle set out to be that business from day one, processing everything down to material level and ensuring nothing is lost to landfill.

The Solution: Security and Sustainability, Together

From its founding in 2018, KOcycle set out to lead on both data security and sustainability. Finding a data erasure partner that shared that dual mission was critical, and after a thorough market analysis, KOcycle selected Blancco Technology Group as its exclusive partner from day one.

With the most tested, approved, recommended, and certified data erasure solutions in the world, Blancco equipped KOcycle to deliver market-leading ITAD services across the full range of device types it processes:

• Blancco Drive Eraser—removes data from servers, laptops, desktops, and loose drives
• Blancco Mobile Diagnostics & Erasure—performs high-volume mobile device erasure
• Blancco Eraser for Apple Devices—sanitizes Apple devices including M1, M2, M3, and T2 chips

Blancco IBR paired with Autopilot drives KOcycle’s processing workflow, automatically checking and rechecking devices and reducing manual touchpoints across the operation. Every erasure is verified to established industry standards, with a tamper-proof, digitally signed certificate forming part of a full audit trail.

KOcycle takes documentation further through its bespoke client portal, where customers can track their assets in real time from the moment a device leaves their site, through processing, all the way to data destruction. Every certificate and compliance document is centralized and ready to access. Each client also receives a sustainability report detailing the mineral and water resources preserved through the circular economy, a differentiator that resonates strongly with organizations managing their own ESG commitments.

The Results: Growth, Trust, and Recognition

KOcycle’s results tell a story that goes well beyond device counts. Processing 5,000 to 6,000 drives through Blancco every month, the business recycled 172,855 kg of technical equipment back into the circular economy in the last year alone.

Through second-life laptop remarketing, KOcycle saved over 5 billion litres of drinking water and 33 million kg of mined materials in 2025, resources that would otherwise have been consumed producing new devices from scratch.

Those numbers matter more than ever.

Community Impact: The KOcycle Digital Inclusion Programme

Since launching alongside the business in 2018, KOcycle’s KOcycle Digital Inclusion Programme (KODI) has put securely erased devices into the hands of the people who need them most. Any UK registered charity can apply to receive up to five donated devices, from laptops to tablets to phones. In the last year alone, KOcycle donated over 600 devices to charities across the UK — a fast-activating, tangible expression of what it means to treat technology as a force for good.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the point in the calendar when humanity has already consumed more ecological resources than the planet can regenerate in a full year. In 2025 it fell on July 24, the earliest date ever recorded.

As Hayley Knott puts it: “if more people had a 0% to landfill commitment, we may not necessarily have as many of the supply chain issues we’re seeing today.” Every kilogram of material KOcycle recovers and returns to the supply chain is a direct contribution to pushing that in the right direction.

KOcycle now serves clients across five continents, with volume growing dramatically year on year. That growth is built on Blancco’s certified erasure, the verified security credentials that allow assets to be remarketed, donated, and reintroduced with full confidence.

In 2026, that approach was recognized at the highest level, when KOcycle was awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainability—the clearest possible signal that security and sustainability, done properly, belong together.

About KOcycle

KOcycle was founded in 2018 with a mission to provide technology services that make a difference, putting social responsibility at the forefront. Secure data erasure with Blancco products is key to KOcycle’s ability to safely extend the life of assets. Now celebrating 8 years in business and recognized as one of the U.K.’s highest-ranking B-Corps in the ITAD sector, KOcycle has become synonymous with sustainability in technology—turning the world’s number one waste stream into a force for good for people and the planet. To learn more, visit kocycle.com.

About Blancco

Reduce Risk. Increase Efficiency. Be Sustainable. Blancco Technology Group provides organizations with secure, compliant, and automated solutions that accelerate the transition to the circular economy. Each year, tens of millions of Blancco erasures allow top-tier organizations to protect end-of-life data against unauthorized access, safely redeploy data storage assets, and firmly comply with increased data protection and privacy requirements. Globally approved, recommended, and certified by governing and industry bodies around the world, Blancco is the industry standard in data erasure and mobile lifecycle solutions. Read more at blancco.com.