Refurbished information technology (IT) is emerging as a key innovation in sustainable community development, linking circular economy practices with digital inclusion and local value creation. In France, the refurbished IT market has moved from niche to mainstream, supported by regulation, shifting price sensitivity and growing environmental awareness. Yet adoption remains uneven, constrained by perceived risk, trust deficits and the symbolic appeal of newness. The study examines how refurbished IT adoption enables socially and environmentally responsible consumption while strengthening local repair, testing and after-sales ecosystems.
The study adopts an abductive, systematic, combining approach integrating circular-economy design, consumer behaviour and perceived-value theory. Evidence comes from qualitative interviews with French consumers, complemented by professional practice insights from platform documents and public information.
Refurbished IT can rival, and in some segments outperform, new products when trust mechanisms (diagnostic transparency, graded condition and credible seller reputation) are salient and when social signalling shifts from status-by-newness to competence and care. The article delineates four actionable pathways for community development, namely local repair employment, inclusive digital skills programmes, responsible institutional procurement and transparent information infrastructures. Although set in France, the insights are transferable to other regions pursuing equitable and sustainable digital transitions.
This article provides a practice-oriented framework that connects consumer-level risk, trust and identity mechanisms to community-level outcomes, clarifying how refurbished IT can operationalise sustainable development at the local scale and informing policy and procurement levers.
