Hewlett-Packard's global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from operations decreased by 10 percent compared with the combined total for HP and EDS in 2008, according to the company's 2009 Global Citizenship Report. The computer giant attributes the reduction to its energy-reduction initiatives, nine percent decrease in square footage, and increase in renewable energy purchases from 2.5 percent to 3.6 percent of total electricity and large hydroelectric energy contracts.
Here are some highlights.
In 2009, HP decreased its total energy use by nine percent compared with 2008 (including former EDS sites). This included an eight percent reduction in electricity use and a 16 percent decrease in natural gas consumption.
HP has set several new environmental targets. The company implemented a new goal to cut energy use and GHG emissions both by 20 percent by 2013, compared to 2005, up from its previous goal of 16 percent below 2005, by 2010.
HP also aims to help customers save 1 billion kWh by 2011 through a variety of sustainable product design strategies for its desktop and notebook PC families, relative to 2008. The company's new goal commits to reducing energy consumption of its products by 40 percent by 2011, compared to 2005.
HP says it has made a discovery related to its recently demonstrated "memristor" technology that could lead to computer systems and handheld devices that are significantly more energy efficient and faster, reports InformationWeek.
In other efficiency examples, the HP Deskjet D2600 uses 30 percent less energy than the previous model. It's also made from 50 percent recycled plastic, and uses HP 60 ink cartridges, which are made from up to 70 percent recycled plastic captured from the HP "closed loop" inkjet recycling process.
In 2009, HP exceeded its goal to triple the amount of recycled materials used in its inkjet printers relative to 2007, originally targeted for 2010. In 2009, the company set a new goal to use a cumulative 45,000 tons (100 million pounds) of recycled plastic in its printing products by 2011.
In 2009, HP diverted 88.8 percent of its waste from landfill, exceeding its target of 87 percent, and recovered for reuse 3.6 million hardware units weighing 30,000 tons and recycled 118,000 tons.
In addition, HP introduced the first Windows-based desktop PC in the industry to be free of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This means that all internal and external PC components, including the keyboard, mouse and power supply are BFR/PVC-free.
A big part of HP's energy efficiency improvements in the workplace has been accomplished by consolidating its space, installing more energy-efficiency technology, and using sustainable design features in new buildings and data centers. As an example, the company expects a 40 percent improvement in energy efficiency in the new UK facility compared to an average data center.
In 2009, HP's IT data center projects including consolidation yielded a reduction in energy consumption by 60 percent from 2005 levels.
HP's completed projects and operational changes in 2009 are expected to deliver a savings of more than 66 million kWh of electricity in 2010. These include implementing lighting retrofits in parking garages and office spaces, and installing fluorescent lights, motion sensors and other energy-saving technology.
