Building secure and trusted e-waste partnerships with WV Tech

Challenge

Finding trusted partners

When Telstra and WV Tech connected in 2019, they both saw an opportunity to build a new partnership delivering WV Tech services to Telstra, and their customers throughout Australia.

As customers demand more than ever across security assurance, environmental, safety, cybersecurity, and data sovereignty, these have moved from the periphery to centre stage. And with its NAID AAA certification and Government PSPF endorsements for Top Secret data destruction, WV Tech sets itself apart as a trusted disposals team - attracting important Telstra partners such as the Australian Defence industry.

"We saw so much alignment opportunity when we met the WV Tech team," says Adrian Mayer, Responsible Procurement at Telstra. "From the cybersecurity focus to the sustainability focus and First Nations business engagement. We saw very quickly that the model at WV is authentically structured. The more work that goes into the organisation the more direct outcomes you can see on the other side."

Telstra saw WV Tech as a service provider for its own ICT disposal needs as well as a trusted supplier they could refer Telstra partners to. In coming together to supply WV Tech services to Telstra customers, the partnership delivers critical high security disposal services to organisations, and also exposes businesses to a tried and tested First Nations procurement and social enterprise partner, which can help organisations meet their own procurement targets. 

"What's been clear at Telstra is that their commitment to supporting First Nations businesses and social enterprises is really built into the culture of the company," says Jamie Miller Co-founder, WV Technologies. "It's meant that as we are introduced to more and more areas of the company it keeps opening doors for the WV Tech partnership to grow."

Solution

Expanded procurement opportunities

Initial work with Telstra saw WV Tech securely decommission data centres in Melbourne and Sydney and recycle or repurpose over 2,000 pallets of slow moving and obsolete inventory. In addition, WV Tech has undertaken the decommissioning and recycling of over 1.3 million kg of PCB boards across 250+ exchanges for Telstra

These projects built trust in the partnership and demonstrated WV Tech’s high level of capability. 

With WV Tech becoming the first company to achieve NAID AAA certification with PSPF endorsements to Top Secret for all data destruction and sanitisation services, as well as their national capabilities, WV Tech offered a highly secure solution for defence equipment disposals. 

And through its partnership with WV Tech, Telstra saw an opportunity to grow First Nations supplier engagement in this critical national security area, and helped to meet First Nations procurement targets set by the Federal Government.  It can be difficult for smaller organisations to gain access to defence industry contracts and build new relationships given the security obligations involved with disposals work. But through their partnership and the company’s strong list of accreditations, Telstra helped to establish a relationship between Defence and WV Tech, undertaking an ongoing national secure disposal project. 

“You don't go to bat for a supplier or take that risk unless you have confidence and trust in a relationship,” says Mayer. “We know WV Tech is highly capable so we're willing to speak up for them because we think they deserve to keep growing what they do for customers and for the communities they support.”