Having met its goal six months early to recycle approximately half of billion kilograms (1 billion pounds) of electronics, HP today announced that it has set a new goal for another half billion kilograms by the end of 2010.
The company set its initial goal in 2004 after it had reached the quarter billion kilogram mark. It went on to recycle a further quarter billion kilograms in the ensuing three years. HP is now committing to recover a cumulative 0.9 billion kilograms (2 billion pounds) of electronics and print cartridges by the end of 2010, doubling its annual recovery rate.
“Environmental responsibility is good business,” said Mark Hurd, HP chairman and chief executive officer. “We’ve reached the tipping point where the price and performance of IT are no longer compromised by being green, but are now enhanced by it.”
In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, HP recycled more than 90 million kilograms (200 million pounds) of hardware in the last three years through conventional take-back schemes, as well as consumer and HP employee events. Most recently, HP has begun ‘take-back collections’ where it teams up with local organisations to provide refurbished computers to local charities.
In 2006 alone, HP recovered 85 million kilograms (187 million pounds) of electronics globally, 73 percent more than IBM, its closest competitor.(1)
HP has been a leader in environmental responsibility for decades. Its global environmental strategy is based on designing for the environment, which includes product design, as well as the management of HP’s own operations and supply chain. HP is committed to:
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Making it practical and easy for customers to be environmentally causcious – from desktops to data centres, individuals to enterprises; |
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Investing in research, product development and materials innovation to further manage the environmental impacts of HP’s products; |
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Working with the company’s partners and supply chain and engaging with regulators to make an industry-wide impact; |
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Driving significant reductions in HP’s own environmental footprint, from the individual employee to global operations. |
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the inception of HP recycling programmes, which now operate in more than 40 countries, regions and territories. The programmes seek to reduce the environmental impact of IT products, minimise waste going to landfills and help customers conveniently manage products at their end-of-life in an environmentally sound fashion.
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.
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. HP’s efforts earned it recognition as one of Fortune Magazine’s ”Ten Green Giants” in April 2007. More information about the company’s work in relation to the environment is available at www.hp.com/environment.
HP 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 totalling .1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2007.
More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.
(1) IBM’s press release detailing its recycling efforts is available at
www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/21396.wss 
. IBM reported 108 million pounds recovered in 2006. HP recycled 164 million pounds and reused an additional 23 million pounds of electronics in the same year.
