Roger Brown on Allstate Protection Plans, Staples, and Device Trade-In Sustainability

Roger Brown is helping consumers give phones, laptops, tablets, and other electronics a second life. At Allstate Protection Plans, Roger works at the intersection of device protection, trade-ins, reuse, repair, and sustainability. Allstate Protection Plans recently won a 2026 Sustainability Award for its program with Staples, which makes it easier for customers to trade in old devices and instantly receive value through a Staples gift card.In this episode, Russ and Roger discuss why so many consumers say they want to do the right thing with old devices, yet only a fraction of phones make it into reuse programs. Roger explains that the gap usually comes down to three things: convenience, trust, and incentive. People need the process to be easy, they need to know their personal data will be protected, and they need a clear financial reason to act.The conversation explores how Allstate Protection Plans and Staples redesigned the trade-in experience around customer choice. Customers can use a traditional mail-in process or choose an instant option that provides value up front through a Staples gift card, backed by a short-term credit card hold. Roger explains why offering both options matters, because customer preferences were nearly split between instant value and the traditional process.Russ and Roger also discuss why trade-ins and protection plans are becoming more connected, how device leasing and anytime upgrade programs are changing consumer expectations, why right to repair is a tailwind, and how reuse can extend a device’s life across multiple owners.At its core, this is a conversation about building a sustainability program that works because it also works for customers, retailers, and the business. Roger’s message is clear: the best circular economy programs remove friction, create trust, reward action, and make reuse part of the normal buying experience.Topics Covered:[00:01] Welcome and intro, Roger Brown and Allstate Protection Plans[00:38] What Allstate Protection Plans does[01:14] Why protection plans matter as devices get more expensive[02:11] Why consumers do not always trade in old devices[03:55] How protection plans and trade-ins became connected[05:35] Leasing, financing, and the future of device ownership[07:25] Why trade-in programs were clunky for so long[09:16] Data security, trust, and device wiping[10:29] How phone trade-ins became simpler[11:19] Building the Staples trade-in experience[12:50] Instant value versus traditional mail-in trade-ins[14:10] Staples gift cards and customer convenience[15:01] Using credit card holds to reduce trade-in risk[16:13] Launching nationwide and across Canada[16:55] Measuring trade-ins as part of new device sales[17:46] What surprised the team after launch[18:53] Sustainability and device chain of custody[19:10] How traded-in devices get a second life[20:53] Right to repair as a tailwind[21:30] Extending device life across multiple owners[23:09] Closing the gap between idle devices and reused devices[24:19] E-waste, affordability, and economic value[25:52] Why right to repair may expand in North America[27:08] Making sustainability part of retail culture[28:20] Final thoughts on Staples, customers, and sustainability