Profits with purpose: R1i Technology

For the past 14 years, Western Australia-based R1i Technology has been supplying Cisco technology in partnership with Ingram Micro to local clients, including many in the resources sector.

During that time, R1i Technology has placed a strong emphasis on sustainability, along with its charitable giving program. The company donates 20 per cent of its profits to local NFPs and charities, including Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, organisations that align with its commitment to the environment.

“We are always committed to giving back and are passionate about it,” says Ben Kahan, Director of R1i Technology.  

The Environmental and Social Impact

The company, a long-standing Cisco partner, has also been awarded the Cisco Sustainability Award for its work in bringing its sustainable solutions to the WA organisations it works with.

R1i prioritises sustainability and circular economy as key focuses of its business. This involves recycling, reusing, or repurposing products that have reached the end of their useful working lives, including Cisco technology at the end of its lifecycle that can be used for recycling purposes.

He also emphasises the positive environmental impact of reducing our carbon footprint, as well as the social impact on both businesses and people.

"This is all about building for future generations to curate liveable and healthy communities, which I think is one of our major responsibilities as a technology provider," he says.

Cisco Sustainability Partner

In the middle of 2023, Ingram Micro Australia became the first Cisco distributor in Asia Pacific, Japanand Greater China to earn Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation certification.,

For Cisco partners, this certification unlocks a Cisco Takeback Incentive of up to nine per cent additional discount, along with free takeback services for all displaced customer hardware on registered takeback deals.

Ingram Micro has also signed the Cisco Sustainability Pledge, which supports a commitment by Cisco to have 100 per cent product return on all end-of-life hardware.

Along with the Certification and Pledge, Ingram Micro and Cisco have also launched in Australia Cisco's first Partnering for Purpose Initiative, a program which both organisations agreed to match the number of Sustainability Certificates issued to any Cisco partner staff located in Australia with a $200 donation towards Planet Ark Environmental Foundation--an Australian non-profit environmental organisation that is partnering with organisations in the public and private sectors to help find ways to reduce their impact on the planet.

This has resulted in a combined $40,000 commitment from both Cisco and Ingram Micro Australia, which will be used to support some of Planet Ark's environmental campaigns such as National Tree Day, National Recycling Week, Make it Wood, and Cartridges 4 Planet Ark.

Sustainability and the Resources Sector

Western Australia is a resource-heavy market, and R1i Technology's Director, Ben Kahan says companies operating in this sector have put sustainability at the core of their operations.

"They've put climate change and low-carbon transition at the heart of their business strategy," he says, "and they're decarbonising their assets and helping their customers also decarbonise by developing new products and technologies."

He says R1i's strategy and those of its resource sector customers are aligned when it comes to sustainability through programs like the recycling initiative, and this is central to why R1i has such strong and long-standing relationships with its customer base.

The partnership with Cisco and Ingram Micro is also at the core of everything they do, and those relationships will only become stronger over time, he says.
"I think our mutual commitment to innovation and sustainability will strengthen these relationships over time, and the sustainability message at the core of our business will only help these partnerships grow."

For R1i, Ben says the company is working towards recognition of its technical excellence and leadership on sustainability.

"Our commitment is to build a community where the greatest engineering minds and the most creative business leaders can collaborate," he says.

"And in five years, I'd really like to see us having a national presence and taking a leadership role in sustainability."