Case Study: Energy Efficiency Sector

Client | Confidential client – Energy efficiency sector
Mandate | Sustainable management of decommissioned electronic devices
Focus Areas | Residual materials management, reverse logistics, energy efficiency

The Context

In response to rapidly-growing demand for clean energy and efficient energy management solutions, a fast-growing Québec-based company began deploying energy-efficient electronic devices at scale across the province. The installation of these devices in households would replace existing equipment - such as thermostats, switches, dimmers and outlets - which became obsolete once the new devices were installed, despite still being functional.

Although sustainability was a core element of the company’s turnkey offering from the outset, a critical gap remained: no solution was in place to manage obsolete devices post-installation. As the organization experienced rapid growth and struggled to keep pace with increasing demand for its products, the management of decommissioned devices was quickly deprioritized internally. Th responsibility for these devices therefore fell to customers, with many of whom lacking the information or tools needed to properly recover or repurpose them.

The Challenge

This situation raised both environmental and, more importantly, reputational risks given the company’s positioning. How could the organization truly position itself as an environmental ally if the adoption of its energy-efficient solutions - while beneficial from an energy standpoint - created new challenges related to electronic waste management? With this in mind, the company recognized an opportunity to strengthen the coherence of its brand promise and also saw an opportunity to differentiate itself through an innovative approach to waste management.

The organization engaged KELP strategies to explore sustainable management solutions for these decommissioned devices. The mandate aimed to assess the environmental and regulatory landscape, identify potential courses of action, and recommend concrete options for implementing a recovery and value-creation process. KELP strategies was selected for its expertise at the intersection of logistics, innovation and sustainable development, as well as its ability to provide dedicated external support for early-stage exploration and solution development.

The Implementation

The mandate was carried out in close collaboration with the client’s logistics team. KELP strategies supported the organization through a structured process designed to identify practical and sustainable solutions for managing decommissioned electronic devices.

The first phase focused on an in-depth analysis of the environmental and regulatory context surrounding the recovery and recycling of the targeted products, allowing for a clear understanding of the requirements and opportunities specific to the Québec market. This step laid the foundation for evaluating viable and compliant solutions.

This was followed by a research and analysis phase, during which KELP strategies conducted a benchmark of existing and emerging practices and held exploratory discussions with various stakeholders, including recycling companies, government bodies and circular economy actors. These exchanges provided a realistic overview of available options, their operational constraints and their potential impacts.

Based on these insights, several scenarios were developed and compared, integrating logistical, economic and environmental considerations. KELP strategies then delivered targeted recommendations supported by an analysis of the benefits, limitations and costs associated with each option.

The Result

The outcomes of this process enabled the client to develop a deeper understanding of Québec’s recycling ecosystem and of the levers available to improve the management of its electronic waste.

A follow-up conducted more than a year after the initial mandate confirmed that the recommendations directly contributed to the implementation of tangible initiatives within the organization. With the support of manufacturing and logistics partners, the client began reconditioning defective or obsolete devices, extending their useful life and significantly reducing the volume of electronic waste generated. To date, several thousand devices have been diverted from landfill as a result of this initiative.