New years of use for laptops for student papers in Turku

High school students are currently taking the autumn matriculation exams all over Finland.

In Turku, high school students can form an even longer relationship with their computers thanks to a new circular economy service model.

The City of Turku, Atea Finland and Inrego have created a model where upper secondary school students can redeem their used computers after their matriculation exams and continue using their familiar machine.

The hope has come from the students themselves.

The service combines the circular economy, student needs, and municipal processes.

For thousands of high school students

In Turku, the service has also been the subject of a council initiative.

Service area manager Jussi Paavolan According to the initiative, the idea was to see if students could redeem their high school computers after their high school exams. This would not only serve the students' needs, but would also save the environment.

There are six day upper secondary schools and one evening upper secondary school in Turku, with a total of approximately four thousand young people studying there.

The City of Turku's TOP Center plans and prepares the acquisition, management and recycling of computers for upper secondary school students in support of Information Management.

The city's core operations do not include secure data clearing, reinstallation, and device sales to consumers. That's why the city needed partners for implementation.

Secure reuse

Atea Finland's GoITLoop service suited the need. Atean LoopThanks to the service, the IT equipment of Turku high schools is now smoothly re-used.

Inrego in turn takes care of the secure data clearing, testing and installation of the new Windows operating system on the computers.

Normally, the devices would end up on general sale, but in this model they are directed to a website maintained by Inrego, tailored for the city of Turku, where high school students can purchase the device at a low price.

“The city can keep its own process unchanged: the devices will be collected as organized by the TOP Center as before, and Inrego will be responsible for the rest,” says the executive director of the TOP Center. Jouni Paakkinen rejoices. Tripartite cooperation thus made a new service possible without the need to change everyday routines.

Hundreds of students were excited about Wilma

When the City of Turku announced the service through Wilma, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. Hundreds of students redeemed the machine in the first year.

"The service was praised by both students and guardians. It was also important that it did not cause additional work for the schools," says the deputy principal. Juho Airola.

The High School Computer service is not just a technical solution, but also a value choice. It teaches young people in a concrete way that the life cycle of a computer can be extended and that a used device can be just as functional as a new one. In addition, the service offers students a financially sensible way to acquire their own computer for future studies.

“This is also how we teach young people alternative ways to acquire computers – a used device is an ecological and economical option,” summarizes Jouni Paakkinen.

Reduces emissions

Turku is committed to the ambitious goal of being carbon neutral by 2029 – and then a climate-positive city that sequesters more carbon than it produces. Already, the city's emissions have decreased by more than 70 percent from 1990 levels.

Circular economy solutions, such as the high school student computer service, support these goals in a concrete way. The service also brings other benefits to the city: financial compensation, certainty about data security, and CO₂ reports.

According to Inrego, the service could also be replicated in other cities and municipalities.

Text: Uusiuutisten editorial team

Photo: Inrego. A laptop that has been tested and proven to be a good help in high school writing can continue to be used by students after high school.