HP Hits 1 Billion Pound Recycling Mark
HP has recycled 1 billion pounds of electronics and print cartridges, putting the Silicon Valley company ahead of its recycling goal by six months, the company announced Friday. Read More
HP has recycled 1 billion pounds of electronics and print cartridges, putting the Silicon Valley company ahead of its recycling goal by six months, the company announced Friday.
The company hit the half-billion pound mark in 2004, when it set the target of recycling 1 billion pounds by the end of 2007. HP plans to recycle another billion pounds of electronics by the end of 2010, which would double its annual recovery rate, the company said.
“Environmental responsibility is good business,” said Mark Hurd, HP chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement. “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.”
The company said it has tried to minimize electronic waste going into landfills and help its customers dispose of products in ways that are environmentally safe, such as through donation, trade-in, asset recovery and leasing. Metals and plastic recovered from items recycled by the company have been made into products such as auto body parts, plastic clothing hangers, toys, roof tiles, fence posts and serving trays.
HP’s recycling program, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, operates in 40 countries, regions and territories. The company said it is committed to working with its partners and supply chain to significantly reduce its environmental footprint.
In 2006, the company recycled 164 million pounds and reused another 23 million pounds of electronics for a total of 187 pounds of recycled electronics worldwide. That’s 73 percent more than competitor IBM, which reported 108 million pounds recovered in 2006, HP said.
Fortune Magazine named HP one of its “Ten Green Giants” in April. In late 2006, it announced plans buy 25 million kilowatt-hours of green power and to cut greenhouse gas emissions at its facilities to 15 percent below 2006 levels.
HP is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes. Its shares, traded under the ticker symbol HPQ, finished Friday at $47.25.
