Policy paper

IT Reuse for Good Charter: guidance

Updated 26 June 2026

The IT Reuse for Good Charter encourages organisations across the UK to take a ‘reuse first’ approach to IT assets such as laptops and smartphones — refurbishing and donating end-of-life devices to people who are digitally excluded.

The charter was developed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Good Things Foundation, VodafoneThree and Deloitte LLP ^{[footnote 1]}. It sets a new standard for responsible, sustainable IT asset management in the UK, adding to — rather than replacing — existing asset disposal processes.

The charter is a commitment in the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, published in February 2025.

Why this matters

Around 1.7 million households in the UK do not have a laptop, tablet or desktop computer.^{[footnote 2]}

Thirty percent of parents of school-aged children reported that their child did not have continuous access to an appropriate device at home on which they could do their online schoolwork, all the time.^{[footnote 3]}

People without access to digital technology are more likely to have worse health outcomes, face higher costs for everyday items, and are over 5 times more likely to be unemployed.^{[footnote 4]}

At the same time, over 200 million devices are sitting unused in British homes.

What the charter aims to do

The charter reflects the government’s commitment to:

• increase the number of quality devices given to people who are digitally excluded

• promote a more circular approach to using devices

• embed a ‘reuse first’ approach as standard practice in IT asset management
• collaborate with industry to understand best practice when it comes to refurnishing and donating devices

The charter will also help to track national trends in device donation and drive systematic change across the device donation ecosystem.

Who the charter is for

The charter is open to all organisations operating in the UK, across the public, private and third sectors. All parts of the device donation process are welcome to sign up, including:

• device providers

• IT asset disposal (ITAD) providers

• device distributors

Your organisation does not need to be a particular size or already have a device donation scheme in place to be eligible. If you already run a successful device reuse and donation scheme and can meet the key requirements of the charter, there is no need to change your existing approach.

What signing the charter means

By signing the charter, your organisation pledges to:

• take a ‘reuse first’ approach to IT asset management, giving devices a second life by refurbishing and donating them to help close the UK’s digital divide

• ensure devices are securely wiped, refurbished to a good quality, fit for purpose, and provided free of charge to people and families in the UK who are digitally excluded

• measure and report every 6 months on the environmental and social impact of your device donation scheme

• share lessons learned and encourage others to join the movement

Signing the charter will also help your organisation improve its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, contribute to its Net Zero goals, and may qualify your organisation for tax relief on donated devices.

How to express your interest

To express your interest in signing the charter, you need to provide:

• the name of your organisation

• your name

• the name and contact details of your senior responsible officer

• a declaration of your experience with device donation

• confirmation that you can provide reporting data every 6 months

Your organisation does not need to have an existing device donation scheme in place to be eligible and there is no limit on the number of devices you can donate.

DSIT will use this information to identify organisations that are ready to become signatories.

What happens next

If your expression of interest is successful, you will become a signatory of the charter and will need to deliver a device donation scheme within 6 months of signing.

You will need to report every 6 months on the number of people and organisations directly benefitting from the refurbished devices and on the number of devices:

• allocated for potential reuse  

• refurbished for reuse  

• recycled   

You will also need to report on the number of people and organisations that directly benefit from the refurbished devices.

We will use this information to understand the impact of the charter and national efforts towards tackling device poverty

Domestic donations

The IT Reuse for Good Charter covers donations made within England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland only. Only include devices donated to recipients in these regions when you report your data.

If your organisation donates devices both in the UK and internationally, only report on UK donations.

Device donation support: The Playbook

You can set up your own in-house refurbishment scheme or work with partner organisations to manage part or all of the process. There is no single required approach — choose what works best for your organisation.

The IT Reuse for Good Playbook, developed by Good Things Foundation, VodafoneThree, Deloitte LLP and the University of Liverpool, provides practical guidance on running a device donation programme, including a list of national partners who can manage the end-to-end process.

Read the IT Reuse for Good Playbook

Advisory group

DSIT would like to thank the IT Reuse for Good Charter advisory group for their expertise in supporting the development of the charter.

Advisory group members include Currys, Essex County Council, Google, Green Alliance, HSBC, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Material Focus, National Grid, Reconome, Scottish Government, University of Liverpool and Virgin Media O2.

Liability

DSIT and the members of the IT Reuse for Good Charter steering group ^{[footnote 5]} are not liable for any action or inaction arising from the material in this publication, or for the quality of devices donated to individuals. They are also not liable for any financial, legal, commercial or other consequences that may arise from implementing the principles set out in the charter or the information in the supporting playbook.

1. Deloitte LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC303675 and its registered office at 1 New Street Square, London EC4A 3HQ, United Kingdom. Deloitte LLP is the United Kingdom affiliate of Deloitte NSE LLP, a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”). DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL and Deloitte NSE LLP do not provide services to clients ↩

2. 6% of people in the Ofcom Technology Tracker responded that no one in their household had a laptop, tablet or desktop. This proportion was applied to number of UK households (28.6 million) reported in the 2024 ONS Families and households in the UK report. The total household figure has been rounded to the nearest 100,000 ↩

3. Ofcom ‘Children’s Media Literacy report’, 2025, p.16 ↩

4. Over 200 million unused devices languishing in UK homes, Vodafone UK 2024 ↩

5. The IT Reuse of Good Charter steering group is made up of Deloitte LLP, VodafoneThree, Good Things Foundation ↩