BOEBLINGEN, Germany, October 13, 2005 – HP today announces the expansion of its leading Planet PartnersTM print cartridge return and recycling programme to business customers in Russia. Like their counterparts in other European countries, Russian customers will have the opportunity to participate in an environmentally responsible programme with HP by returning their end-of-life inkjet and LaserJet print cartridges through a bulk return scheme. With the expansion, HP sets another industry benchmark for emerging markets and demonstrates its commitment to the environment.
“HP takes its environmental responsibility seriously and seeks to encourage its customers to do the same. We are delighted to be introducing this recycling initiative to Russia and we hope that our Russian customers will take advantage of the convenience of this programme,” said Vincent Vanderpoel, vice president and general manager, HP IPG Supplies EMEA. “Print cartridge recycling is just one facet of HP’s leadership in environmental initiatives but it is an important part of our overall programme.”
The programme makes recycling as convenient as possible for commercial customers through a free-of-charge bulk return scheme. Interested customers simply visit www.hp.com/recycle and arrange delivery of collection containers or pick-up of their end-of-life cartridges. Full details of the programme and eligibility are listed on the website. The addition of Russia to the programme means that customers in 38 countries worldwide can make a positive impact on the environment (1).
The results are impressive – as of December 2004, customers have returned more than 92 million kilograms of HP print cartridge materials to be recycled worldwide. In 2004 alone, nearly 11 million HP LaserJet print cartridges were returned and recycled – approximately 900,000 HP LaserJet print cartridges per month.
HP print cartridges returned by customers in Russia will be recycled at state-of-the-art recycling factories in Germany and France. At the inkjet print cartridge recycling facility, HP inkjet print cartridges are sorted and shredded before the recycling process can begin. The shredded materials are then separated into plastics, metals and residuals of ink or foam and further processed into raw materials. Plastics and metals from recycled HP inkjet print cartridges are used to make other HP products, automotive parts, microchip processing rays, server tray, spools and other everyday products.
Plastics recovered from HP inkjet print cartridges and plastic drinking bottles are used in three HP scanner product lines. In 2004, three HP scanner product lines used a total of 40.6 tonnes of recycled materials. Any materials that are not used for new products are used to generate energy or disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.
In recognition of HP’s commitment to the environment, the company has received various certifications and awards including the Ecohitech Product Award, the Energy Star and the Green Cross Millennium Award.
(1) Planet Partners TM is currently operating across Europe in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Worldwide, the programme operates in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan and the United States.
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2005, HP revenue totaled .2 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.
