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Dell Creates Eco-Friendly Multipack Program

By delivering multiple servers in a single package, Dell aims to dramatically reduce the amount of waste packaging used in shipping hardware, as well as making server installation easier. Read More

(Updated on July 24, 2024)

A new server packaging option called Multipack introduced by Dell can save customers time and simplify server installations by eliminating up to half of the packaging materials and waste resulting during a typical customer installation of IT equipment.

The company estimates server deployment times can be greatly reduced due to reduced packaging material, helping improve on-site logistics so customers can get their servers up and running faster. The estimated environmental impact could deliver the potential savings of paper and cardboard equivalent to about 52,000 trees per year once the program is available worldwide.

Multipack is now available as a packaging option, at no additional cost, for U.S. customers ordering more than one of Dell’s PowerEdge 1950, PowerEdge 860, PowerEdge SC1435 or PowerEdge 1955 servers. The program, which will soon be rolled out worldwide, allows up to four 1U rack height servers or 10 blade servers to be delivered in a single box.

In addition to reducing cardboard packaging, when only a single set of product manuals and CDs is included in each box, collateral materials can be reduced by up to 75 percent, further reducing paper use and material waste. Using the environmental group Environmental Defense’s Paper Calculator, estimated annual savings are up to:

  • 2,000 tons of cardboard
  • 1,000 tons of wood pallets
  • 300 tons of paper
  • 80 tons of polyethylene foam
  • 40 tons of plastic

“Whether you are integrating a few units or clustering hundreds to thousands of systems, when you receive each component in individually packed boxes, the amount of total accumulated waste in boxes, packaging and documentation can be significant,” said Dr. Tommy Minyard, assistant director for the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dell plans to make Multipack available across additional product lines so that customers ordering delivery of multiple products at one time can take advantage of this highly efficient and environmentally responsible delivery option.

In addition to efforts to reduce packaging volumes, Dell’s commitment to forest stewardship includes worldwide use of recycled-content paper in catalogs, product packaging and office use. The company recently announced it had exceeded its five-year goal to use 50 percent recycled content by 2009. Dell’s marketing publications now use an average of 50 percent recycled content paper — and many publications use up to 90 percent.

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