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ITAD Market Pulse

Intro: ITAD Industry Performance Update and Outlook

Jul 5, 2023

Number of readers who accessed this analysis : 936
Let me thank those of you who took our first ITAD Industry Performance Review and Outlook. This survey closed and we have conducted a Zoom presentation on June 29, 2023. For those who took the survey, you must have received links to access a written analysis, PowerPoint slides and a replay of the Zoom video presentation. If you have not received the links, please check your spambox or send me an email Continue reading below.
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Hello Colleagues,

A warm welcome to you and wishing you a smooth summer 2023.

Firstly on behalf of Compliance Standards and E-Scrap News, let me thank those of you who took our first ITAD Industry Performance Review and Outlook. This survey closed and we have conducted a Zoom presentation on June 29, 2023. For those who took the survey, you must have received links to access a written analysis, PowerPoint slides and a replay of the Zoom video presentation. If you have not received the links, please check your spambox or send me an email at: DDaoud@Compliance-Standards.com and I will make sure you will get the details.

For those who did not take the survey, I will summarize the findings in one single sentence: the first half of the year was an extraordinarily difficult period for the ITAD sector, but looking ahead, there is plenty of optimism not only among your peers, but we also share the same optimism, albeit we must remain cautious.

In the coming weeks, we plan to release the survey instrument for the second installment, and we sincerely hope we will have the opportunity to welcome those of you who have not participated last month for a broader participation. To be reminded of taking the next survey, please add your email address below.

Thank you for your attention and let’s connect soon.

David Daoud
Compliance Standards LLC.



 

Book Analyst

Analyst/Author: David Daoud | Principal Analyst

David Daoud has researched the mainstream IT hardware market since 1996 and expanded into hardware disposition research in 2003. He has spearheaded the creation of IDC’s GRADE certification. Since then, David has been providing consulting and expert advice to companies looking to establish best practice in their IT equipment decommissioning and helped leading ITAD service providers assess demand, understand competition, and forecast what’s to come. David is currently the Principal Analyst at Compliance Standards, which focuses entirely on the end-of-life of IT equipment. He can be reached at 754-229-0095 or at ddaoud@compliance-standards.com

Premium Content from ITAD Market Pulse:

Compliance: Navigating the Post-Basel ITAD Compliance Landscape in 2026

As of Q1 2026, the operating environment that the global ITAD industry was built around has been evolving and materially changing. The Basel Convention’s 2025 amendments have subjected virtually all transboundary e-waste movements to Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedures, eliminating the permissive classifications that allowed untested equipment to cross borders with minimal scrutiny. Malaysia, until recently the principal global destination for imported e-waste, has imposed an absolute prohibition on all e-waste imports, with the ban was formally gazetted into law on April 1, 2026, removing a critical outlet from the global processing chain overnight. And for enterprises subject to the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, gaps in downstream asset-disposition tracking have now become an audit exposure.

This report analyzes what these developments mean for ITAD operators, enterprise asset managers, and logistics providers, and sets out the contractual, operational, and reporting steps required to remain compliant, auditable, and insurable in this new environment.

ITAD M&A Outlook: Lessons from the MSP Consolidation Wave and Three Scenarios for the ITAD Market

This report is an investor-grade analysis of how the IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) market is likely to consolidate over the next five to seven years, using the Managed Service Provider (MSP) consolidation cycle as a model and cautionary tale. It first reconstructs how MSPs went from a fragmented, owner‑operator landscape in 2018 to a market dominated by a handful of scaled platforms, and then maps those lessons onto today’s ITAD sector, which now shows similar fragmentation, secular growth, and rising private equity interest.

For prospective ITAD investors, strategics, and boards, the report explains ITAD’s core demand drivers, segments the competitive landscape into four tiers, and highlights ITAD’s dual role as both a compliance service and a critical materials feedstock source. It then details recent M&A activity from 2023–2026 and current valuation dynamics, before laying out three structured consolidation scenarios; a disciplined PE rollup, a fragmented stall, and a strategic acquirer takeover; with implications for entry timing, platform selection, value creation levers, and risk signals to monitor

Future Tech: AI Vision Is Moving From Lab to Line in E‑Waste Sorting

AI‑driven camera sorting is moving from lab demos into practical plant‑floor tools for ITAD and electronics recyclers. Early systems like Apple’s A.R.I.S. show that low‑cost vision models running on commodity hardware can drive pneumatic sorters at line speed and deliver high‑purity metal and PCB streams, suggesting that facilities which start piloting these techniques now will gain a structural edge on recovery, cost, and specification compliance over the next three to five years.

Client Note: Foundries Hike DRAM Prices as Automated Bots Sweep DDR5 Inventory

In this memo to clients, we note that the global memory market is showing an accelerated phase of tightening, driven by the aggressive expansion of AI infrastructure as the primary catalyst. Right now, we are tracking two distinct yet deeply connected market developments: massive contract price hikes from major memory foundries, exceeding 100% in recent negotiations, and a surge in automated, large-scale hoarding of DDR5 inventory, which could significantly affect how components are tracked and resold. Collectively, these indicators point to a period of intensified supply chain distortion and heightened competition for memory components.

For the secondary hardware ecosystem, encompassing IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) operators, refurbishers, and component traders, this primary market squeeze could alter current business dynamics.

ITAD Industry Briefing: February Edition

Out of everything we published this month, at least four forces stand out as they’ve taken new momentum. These are the things that will define the next 12 to 18 months for this industry. First, the e-waste export opportunity is closing very quickly. Second, AI spending is splitting your portfolio in two. Third, compliance now beats price. And fourth, EU regulations are becoming the global standard. These four forces are the foundation of key developments we are seeing in the sector, as articulated in this presentation.

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ITAD Go to Market

A comprehensive set of charts, data and explainers on nine vertical markets with focus on enterprise handling of ITAD.

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Data and research designed for end-users. ITAD vendors can request membership on a fee basis. (forthcoming)

Marketing Coalition

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CS Surveys

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