(Credit: Pixabay)
HP Inc. today released its 2019 Sustainable Impact Report, which, among other initiatives, says the company will eliminate 75% of single-use plastic packaging by 2025. This goal focuses on hardware unit packaging and is predicated on a move to molded fiber packaging cushions.
HP’s environmental packaging strategy aims to eliminate unnecessary plastics and materials of concerns wherever possible. In 2019, HP decided to eliminate power cord plastic ties and plastic document bags in hardware packaging. HP also has shifted to more recyclable, paper-based alternatives. To accelerate this shift, the company is transitioning from plastic foam packaging cushions to those made with 100% recycled, molded pulp for HP’s notebooks, desktops, and displays. The transition to molded fiber Personal Systems packaging cushions eliminated more than 1,000 tons of hard-to-recycle expanded plastic foam last year.
In Printing, HP reduced plastic foam by 40% and eliminated over 100 tons of the material in 2019 just by redesigning the packaging of a printer model. Launched in 2019, the HP Tango Terra is HP’s first printer with zero plastic packaging, using a combination of molded fiber cushions and glassine paper to replace the typical plastic foam and bag. In 3D printing, HP recently announced the availability of a new material called polypropylene (PP) that helps reduce waste by enabling up to 100% reusability of surplus powder.
HP is also accelerating its use of recycled content plastics across its print and personal systems product portfolio. During 2019, HP used over 27,000 tons of post-consumer recycled content plastic in HP print and PS products, or equivalent to 9% plastics used. The company is working to increase this to 30% by 2025. HP has also sourced 1.7 million pounds — more than 60 million bottles — of ocean-bound plastic, and launched the world’s first notebook, display, mobile workstation and enterprise Chromebook made using ocean-bound plastics.
In 2018, HP announced that sustainable impact was a key differentiator for more than $700 million in new business in 2017.
“In 2017, customers with sustainable purchasing criteria — including criteria related to eco-labels — represented a total of approximately $15.8 billion of existing and potential business revenue,” the company’s sustainability report said.
Creating a more efficient, circular, low-carbon economy is one of the global tech company’s major goals. HP reported that their suppliers have avoided 1.05 million metric tons of carbon dioxide between 2010 and 2017.