Computer maker Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) said it has eliminated the use of more than 18.2 million pounds of packaging material since 2008.
For perspective, that’s approximately the same weight as 226 fully-loaded 18-wheelers or almost 4,184 small pick-ups.
Dell said it has made significant progress toward its packaging content and curbside recyclability targets. Since 2008, the company has increased the amount of recycled content in its packaging to approximately 32%–that’s still 3% short of the 35% goal the company set for 2010.
The company also says more than half (57%) of its packaging materials can now be recycled by customers using local curbside pick-up programs. The company is aiming for that number to be 75% by the end of 2012.
The reductions, reported yesterday in Dell’s 2009 Corporate
Responsibility report, result from the company’s “three Cs” packaging
strategy, which focuses on the cube (packaging volume); content (what
it’s made of) and curbside recyclability of its packaging materials.
By reducing the size of product packaging, Dell says it can now fit 63 laptops on each shipping pallet, up from 54. More laptops on each pallet means more laptops fit into each vehicle, which can result in fewer shipping vehicles and less shipping-related environmental impact.
For heavier products that require sturdy support, Dell has increased its use of recycled foam versus using virgin product. Dell has also increased its use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics from items such as milk jugs and detergent bottles. The company has integrated the equivalent of more than 9.5 million half-gallon milk jugs into its packaging (although it’s not clear if that material is part of the 57% that can be recycled at the curb).
In November 2009, Dell was the first technology company to integrate bamboo into its packaging portfolio. Bamboo is a strong, renewable and compostable material that serves as a good alternative to the molded paper pulp, foams and corrugated cardboard often used in packaging.
While highly renewable and compostable, bamboo packaging isn’t yet accepted by many municipal packaging programs today. Dell said it is teaming with Georgia Pacific, Unisource Global Services and Environmental Packaging International in an effort to certify its bamboo packaging for recycling.
The global market for sustainable packaging is forecast to reach $142.42 billion by the year 2015, according to a recent report.
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