| PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 8, 2007
HP today announced that its redesigned print cartridge packaging
for North America will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated
37 million pounds in 2007 – the equivalent of taking 3,600
cars off the road for one year.1
The emissions savings are the result of smaller, lighter packages
that both reduce the total carbon footprint of each cartridge and
the truck and freighter transportation traffic required to ship
them. Newer packaging also contains more recyclable and recycled
content.
“What I see here is smart design,” said Greg Norris,
Ph.D., environmental life cycle assessment instructor at Harvard
University and creator of the Earthster project (www.earthster.org),
an open source software platform designed to make opportunities
for sustainable production and purchasing globally accessible. “The
changes all go in the right direction environmentally and all in
ways that make economic sense to HP and its customers. More power
to these designers.”
For retailers, the new packaging is also expected to save significant
transportation and storage costs while freeing up valuable display
space.
“Innovation at HP goes beyond just product design,”
said Pradeep Jotwani, senior vice president, Supplies, Imaging and
Printing Group, HP. “Developing environmentally responsible
packaging is not only valued by HP, our customers and our partners
– it’s also good business.”
Environmental benefits
HP estimates its redesigned print cartridge packaging will eliminate
the use of nearly 15 million pounds of materials, including 3 million
pounds of corrugated cardboard in 2007.1 The packaging
also will eliminate the use of more than 6.8 million pounds of polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) plastic through material reduction and substitution
of recycled content plastic and paperboard.2
HP inkjet cartridge multipacks, for example, are now made with
recycled content paperboard instead of PVC. In fact, since 2003,
HP has reduced overall package weight for inkjet cartridge multipacks
by 80 percent and quadrupled the number of packages that can be
carried in a single truckload.
Additionally, HP inkjet cartridge photo value packs are now packaged
completely in recycled paperboard instead of PVC plastic. Also,
PVC has been replaced by recycled plastic (PET – RPETG) in
HP inkjet cartridge tripack packaging sold in club stores.3
New HP LaserJet toner cartridge packaging uses 45 percent less
packaging material by weight. The more compact package also contains
an innovative multi-chamber air bag that protects the cartridge
from transport damage, dust, moisture and light. The smaller boxes
can be shipped 30 percent more efficiently – a standard shipping
pallet holds 203 cartridges instead of the previous 144.
Overall, the more efficient packaging is expected to reduce truck
traffic in the United States and Canada by an estimated 1.5 million
miles in 2007.4
Retail benefits
Retailers also should realize savings in shelf space from the
new packaging. Front-facing surface area for multipacks has been
reduced by 80 percent.5 New HP inkjet cartridge tripacks
sold at club stores can be stacked three-high on shelves, as opposed
to two-high in the past. And new HP LaserJet toner cartridge packaging
offers retailers more than 30 percent shelf space savings.
"We take our Environmental programs very seriously,"
said Alanna Jack,
Category Manager, Staples Business Depot Canada. "We're delighted
to partner
with a manufacturer like HP in addressing the environmental impacts
related to the products we sell."
More information on HP’s environmental programs is available
at www.hp.com/go/environment.
About HP
HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its
customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses.
With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software,
services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest
IT companies, with revenue totaling $91.7 billion for the four fiscal
quarters ended Oct. 31, 2006. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ)
is available at www.hp.com.
Note to editors: More news from
HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/.
1 Estimates are based
on projected 2007 print cartridge sales in the United States and
Canada. Global warming gas (carbon dioxide equivalents) emissions
reductions calculated based on anticipated 2007 sales, using packaging
configurations before and after recent improvements. Environmental
impacts modeled with SimaPro 7 (PRé Consultants, The Netherlands,
2006) lifecycle inventory software. Carbon equivalency factors from
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Calculations from www.usctcgateway.net/tool/.
2 Estimated reductions compare current to prior packaging
designs, using anticipated 2007 sales.
3 The term “tripacks” is used here to describe
club store packages, most but not all of which contain three cartridges.
4 Based on anticipated 2007 sales, shipping in full truckloads,
1,000 mile average trip distance from distribution centers in California
and Virginia.
5 Inkjet retail multipack example (display width x height):
current dimensions: 4.8 inches x 6.4 inches; previous dimensions:
10.7 inches x 13.4 inches.
This news release contains forward-looking statements
that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks
or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect,
the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ
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statements concerning expected development, performance or market
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and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief;
and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing.
Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the achievement of
expected results and other risks that are described from time to
time in HP’s Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including
but not limited to the risks described in HP’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2006 and other reports
filed after that Form 10-K. HP assumes no obligation and does not
intend to update these forward-looking statements.
© 2007 Hewlett-Packard Development Company,
L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without
notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set
forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products
and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting
an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or
editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
2/2007
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