Digital Pipeline promotes affordable and environmentally responsible reuse of used computers to help technologically disadvantaged schools and communities in Africa and other parts of the world.

How Digital Pipeline works

Digital Pipeline connects organisations who wish to donate used computers to organisations that need them. We have established a group of trusted Partners who operate under the highest ethical and quality standards, to facilitate the refurbishment and distribution of used computers to Beneficiaries.

Making a donation:

There are three ways to make a donation.

The first option enables organisations to donate their own used PCs to DP Deployment Agents who specialise in providing refurbished computers to technologically excluded schools and communities in Africa and other parts of the world.

Deployment Agents manage the whole process from start to finish, including collection and refurbishment of the donor’s PCs to Digital Pipeline standards so they are ready for use by Beneficiaries. These standards require every PC to be data wiped by DP Refurbishers using approved data eradication software products to protect the Donor’s privacy. All partners who handle donated PCs are expected to do so in a legally compliant and ethical way that protects the interests of Donors and Beneficiaries.

Donors are expected to cover their Deployment Agent’s costs for managing their PC donations to Digital Pipeline standards and are also expected to pay a Recycling Fee of £10 for each donated PC that’s registered with Digital Pipeline. This is set aside by Digital Pipeline in a Recycling Fund that pays Deployment Agents to remove and recycle PCs that are no longer useful, from areas where they deploy registered PCs. Remaining funds from these fees are used by Digital Pipeline to cover its costs for activities such as tracking PCs, providing Donor reports, auditing partners and managing its operations.

Another option enables organisations to refurbish and sell their decommissioned PCs or any other type of ICT equipment through a DP Refurbisher and donate the proceeds to Digital Pipeline, so it can use such donations to fund PC purchases for Beneficiaries, PC recycling and other activities.

If neither of these options is suitable, organisations or individuals can support Digital Pipeline’s activities by making a straightforward donation of funds.

Providing PCs and support to Beneficiaries:

PCs are delivered to Beneficiaries by DP Deployment Agents who assess the needs of Beneficiaries and provide services where needed such as installation, training, maintenance and support so that Beneficiaries can fully benefit from the PCs that they receive.

Beneficiaries pay a Digital Pipeline administration fee of £5 per PC and their Deployment Agent’s costs for arranging PC delivery. Beneficiaries are also expected to pay for any additional services that they request from their Deployment Agent.

Quality standards:

PC refurbishment is carried out by DP Refurbishers who work in accordance with Digital Pipeline quality standards that mitigate business risks and support legal requirements for Donors as well as ensuring that every PC provided to Beneficiaries is safe and fit for purpose.

Every PC must therefore be free of its previous owner’s data, safety tested and ready to use with a monitor, keyboard, mouse and operating system installed.

Tracking and reporting:

Digital Pipeline manages a PC Tracking System that enables Partners to register and keep track of any Digital Pipeline PCs that they handle.

PCs are first registered with Digital Pipeline by their original DP Refurbisher – this involves providing serial numbers and other information that helps to identify them. Deployment Agents who handle the PCs en route to their final Beneficiaries update this information so that Donors can be provided with status reports and Digital Pipeline can perform audits.

Digital Pipeline’s PC Tracking System, donor reports and independent partner audits give Donors added confidence that their donations are being managed in a professional and ethical way and that their preferences are being respected.

Recycling Fund:

Digital Pipeline is focused on reducing environmental pollution from electronic waste in areas that it serves, particularly in developing countries where this is a growing threat to the local environment and people’s health.

Digital Pipeline has established a Recycling Fund that provides incentives for our Partners to remove and responsibly recycle PCs that are no longer useful from these areas. Our policy is that for every Donor PC that is sent out, another PC that has reached the end of its useful life or an equivalent weight in PC components should be recycled in its place. Digital Pipeline keeps track of exactly what has been recycled by Partners and when to ensure that the appropriate quantities and weights of PCs or components have been recycled within a reasonable timescale.

The Recycling Fund is funded by fees that are levied by Digital Pipeline on donated PCs when these are registered with Digital Pipeline and is also funded by individuals and organisations that make cash donations to Digital Pipeline.