Tracking Market Conditions

First Take: Cascade Asset Management and Sage Sustainable Electronics Join in First Merger in US ITAD Sector

On January 31, 2025, Madison, WI-based Cascade Asset Management merged with Columbus, OH-based Sage Sustainable Electronics. A one-page online post by Cascade suggests that the companies will continue to operate as two independent entities for the time being.  This is the first time that a merger has taken place in the industry, while the most recent transactions in the ITAD sector favored acquisitions. Continue reading below.
Number of readers who accessed this analysis : 926

Back to Pulse
Frontpage

Subscribe as
an Individual

Subscribe as a
Small Business

Enterprise
License

Current
Research Agenda

By David Daoud:  On January 31, 2025, Madison, WI-based Cascade Asset Management merged with Columbus, OH-based Sage Sustainable Electronics. A one-page online post by Cascade suggests that the companies will continue to operate as two independent entities for the time being.  This is the first time that a merger has taken place in the industry, while the most recent transactions in the ITAD sector favored acquisitions. Therefore, the morphing of these two companies is not a trivial event, as two critical stakeholders operating in the ITAD sector are merging their resources to boost competitiveness in light of the expanding influence of the likes of Iron Mountain, Ingram Micro, and other companies with sizeable resources. As we expect the two companies to work to push their go-market offensive, we also expect them to leverage more support from private equity firm Closed Loop Partners (CLP), which has made investments into Sage.

________
This analysis is reserved for clients subscribing to the Pulse Service.
Already a subscriber? Please log in here.
Not a Pulse subscriber? Click here to subscribe
Or schedule a free consultation here to learn more.

Author: David Daoud | 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 508-981-6937 or at [email protected]

MORE ANALYSES:

Corporate Sustainability Brief: Samsung Electronics

I recently moderated a session at REMA 2025 in San Diego with Samsung Electronics' sustainability leaders, Daniel Araujo and Jenni Chun. It was a great conversation about what one of the world’s biggest technology companies is doing to make sustainability real—not...

Rethinking Data Security in the New Generation of Enterprise AI Devices

By David Daoud: We spent some time looking at the latest generation of computing devices and how the embedding of AI could drastically reshape the risk profile of corporate IT departments. The new systems that are about to replace the PCs, systems that we’ve known for...

How Tariffs Are Threatening PC Industry Recovery, But ITAD May Be Entering New Phase of Strategic Relevance

Tariffs are creating a new crisis that’s throwing the PC industry into disarray. While OEMs are halting shipments, we spoke to CIOs who are slashing budgets, and in our discussions with ITADs, the secondary market is also flooded with uncertainty. But setting aside the normal reaction we are seeing, in this chaos lies opportunity. With the right playbook, OEMs can stabilize operations, CIOs can shield their transformation agendas, and more than ever before, ITAD firms can absolutely emerge as strategic enablers in a reshaped hardware landscape.

Analysis: What the Latest Devices Tell Us About the Future of Enterprise IT and ITAD

Enterprise hardware is undergoing a major transformation. The latest systems released in March 2025 reveal that AI capabilities are now embedded by default, shifting performance to the edge with NPUs and AI-accelerated workflows. At Compliance Standards, we’re tracking this shift — from sustainability and energy use to lifecycle impacts — and it’s clear: the next generation of enterprise PCs isn’t just faster, it’s fundamentally different.

Ingram Micro’s ITAD and Lifecycle Business: Straddling the Line

Summary: Ingram Micro’s latest 4Q2024 earnings call confirms the company’s focus on higher-margin businesses like cloud, digital solutions, and AI-powered automation. And while it continues to offer ITAD services, we are not likely to see an aggressive push in ITAD....

PREMIUM SERVICES

Unique content that clients can use to transform themselves as thought leader. We help customers improve their image, attract attention and win new customers.

Regulatory compliance and assurance, internal audit & risk management, third-party and vendor risk management.

This is where professionals involved in ITAD in enterprises come to learn about best practice.

We assess the reputation of ITAD vendors from the perspective of their clients and employees.

Plan Your Go-to-Market, Sales, Marketing and PR Strategies with Unmatched Data & Expertise. Understand your Prospective Clients. All data driven.

Analyst views and opinions on the mega trends and factors affecting the sustainability and circular IT, from ESG, AI and IT decommissioning to plant technology and economics.

We welcome all ITAD vendors to join our twice a year survey, a joint initiative between Compliance Standards and E-Scrap News. Joining is free and results are available only for survey respondents.

OSZAR »