Sacha is CEO and Board member of the Swiss climate neutral, green IT manufacturer Prime Computer which is mainly producing mini PCs for medium size companies. Sacha is also a Board Member of the European Technology Chamber & the Climate Action Commission, supporting the use of European technology to reach the sustainability goals (SDGs) of the UN.

In this episode, we speak with Sacha Ghiglione, CEO of Prime Computer, a Swiss company dedicated to climate-neutral, sustainable IT hardware. Prime Computer specializes in producing mini PCs for medium-sized companies, with a focus on energy efficiency, reliability, and longevity. Sacha has been at the helm since 2019, after joining the company as COO in 2018, and he is also a board member of the European Technology Chamber and the Climate Action Commission, advocating for the use of European technology to reach the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This conversation centers around e-waste, one of the fastest-growing environmental challenges of our time. In 2019, the world generated a staggering 54 million metric tonnes of e-waste—equivalent to an average of 7.3 kg per capita. Europe leads the world in e-waste generation per capita, with each person discarding over 16 kg of electronics annually, and only 17% of this waste gets recycled. As e-waste continues to increase by 9 million tons each year, its toxicity becomes an ever-larger threat, with harmful metals like copper, aluminum, and iron being released into the environment when burned.

Sacha dives into the difficulties of recycling electronics and the toxic nature of e-waste. He shares the staggering financial loss of raw materials—valued at 57 billion USD annually—that are discarded along with e-waste. We discuss practical solutions for addressing this crisis through circular design principles that reduce the environmental impact of electronic products.

The episode highlights three key elements to implementing a circular model:

1. Measure and track your CO2 footprint using Scope 1, 2, and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to assess emissions.
2. Design products for sustainability—with repairability, upgradability, recyclability, durability, and low energy consumption in mind.
3. Create a circular ecosystem that extends the lifecycle of products through leasing, refurbishment, and second-life programs.

Sacha emphasizes the importance of making sustainability affordable, noting that consumers are willing to pay 4-6 times more for eco-friendly products. However, capital barriers persist, as doing the right thing often costs more than business-as-usual.

To understand where Prime Computer is heading, Sacha talks about their commitment to halving greenhouse gas emissions every 10 years, their annual sustainability report, and their collaboration with Go Blue Now and Exponential Roadmap for carbon footprint assessments.