"HP set the most aggressive recovery goal in the IT industry and we’re on track to meet it. This progress demonstrates our success in offering convenient and comprehensive recovery services around the world and is another milestone in HP’s longstanding environmental commitment"
Pat Tiernan, vice president, Corporate, Social and Environmental Responsibility at HP
PALO ALTO, Calif., US: HP (NYSE:HPQ) recently announced it recycled nearly 250 million pounds (113,400 tonnes) of hardware and print cartridges globally in its fiscal year 2007 – a huge increase of approximately 50 percent over the previous year.
In fact, this increase in the company’s recycling of waste electronic equipment is the equivalent of more than double the weight of the Titanic (46,700 tonnes displacement weight).
Importantly HP also reused 65 million pounds (29,500 tonnes) of hardware to be refurbished for resale or donation, increasing its annual reuse rate by an impressive 30 percent.
The lion’s share of the recycling came in Europe, the Middle East and Africa combined in 2007, where HP nearly doubled the amount it recycled over last year to 170 million pounds (77,111 metric tonnes) of equipment.
European countries in particular are subject to strict recycling requirements under the EC Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.
HP's Roseville, California recycling facility (Photo: HP)
In the Americas region for the same year, HP recycled an estimated 65 million pounds (29,484 metric tonnes) of equipment.
In addition in the Asia Pacific region, HP recycled 13 million pounds (5,897 metric tonnes) of equipment.
The company says that it surpassed its cumulative goal to recycle one billion pounds (453,600 tonnes) of technology equipment and is well on its way to reaching its new goal to recover 2 billion pounds (907,200 tonnes) of products by the end of 2010.
Pat Tiernan, vice president, Corporate, Social and Environmental Responsibility at HP said:
“HP set the most aggressive recovery goal in the IT industry and we’re on track to meet it. This progress demonstrates our success in offering convenient and comprehensive recovery services around the world and is another milestone in HP’s longstanding environmental commitment.”
New recycling breakthrough
Last week, HP announced it has developed an engineering breakthrough that enables the use of post-consumer recycled plastics in the production of new Original HP inkjet print cartridges. The company’s innovative recycling process facilitates the combination of multiple sources and grades of recycled plastics – from everyday water bottles to highly technical HP inkjet cartridges returned through HP’s Planet Partners program.
In addition to closing the design loop, using recycled content saves energy and keeps plastic out of landfills.
Using recycled content is the latest advancement from HP’s Design for Environment program, which reduces the company’s environmental impact through material usage, ease of recycling and packaging efficiency.
Further information
Recycling at HP
Started in 1987, HP’s recycling program now operates in more than 50 countries, regions and territories. The program seeks to reduce the environmental impact of IT products, minimize waste going to landfills and help customers conveniently and responsibly manage products at their end of life, according to the company.
Plastics and metals recovered from products recycled by HP have been used to make a range of new products, including auto body parts, clothes hangers, plastic toys, fence posts, serving trays and roof tiles. In addition to recycling, HP offers a variety of product end-of-life management services including donation, trade-in, asset recovery and leasing.
HP and the environment
For decades HP has worked to manage its environmental impact by adopting environmentally responsible practices in product development, operations and supply chain. The company strives to be a global leader in reducing its carbon footprint, limiting waste and recycling responsibly.
More information about the company’s environmental programs is available at www.hp.com/environment.
HP
HP says that it focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $104.3 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended Oct. 31, 2007.
More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.
[This article is adapted from a press release by Business Wire with an original source of HP.]