HP is implementing a three-year, companywide Global Workplace Initiative that will result in significantly improved utilization of our real estate assets. The initiative, launched in 2009, helps us work to reduce the space we occupy, use resources more efficiently, decrease our climate impact and water consumption, and cut costs. It has the additional benefit of freeing up office buildings for use by other organizations, so overall, fewer offices worldwide need to be constructed.
We strive to include sustainable design features such as use of renewable building materials and efficient lighting and water systems in the design of new buildings and renovations. Using such features helps us create comfortable and productive workplaces for HP employees and can help improve our facilities' appearance.
In 2010, we launched an updated version of our custom sustainable building design checklist, which raises HP project managers' awareness about the breadth of possible actions they can consider to help reduce environmental impact and helps them identify cost-effective options for each action. Most workplace projects (typically office improvements) are run by our internal HP Global Design Center, in partnership with one of our architecture firms. When one of these projects has been completed, the firm works with HP project managers as appropriate to provide a scorecard that lists the building's sustainable design features and helps identify areas for further improvement.
We compile scorecard information to obtain a picture of sustainable building design progress across HP (see graphic). As of the end of 2010, results indicate that all projects tracked incorporate sound waste management practices, while most also focus on issues such as water efficiency and efficient use of materials. Areas for further attention in future building developments include greater focus on energy efficiency as a criterion for selecting the buildings we lease, and planning new sites that implement sustainable building practices. About 10% of relevant workplace projects (those typically requiring investments of more than $500,000 USD) were tracked during the year.
Beginning in 2011, on the majority of workplace projects in the Americas, we request that project managers complete the scorecard as part of the project close-out exercise. The consolidated results will be reported in the Global Real Estate organization's balanced scorecard, to promote continual improvement. We plan to roll out this approach in our Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, as well as our Asia Pacific and Japan region in the second half of 2011.
Sustainable building design progress summary (% of eight projects tracked addressing each scorecard element through Q4 2010)
Using our own checklist enables us to pursue high standards that are at least as stringent as many LEED requirements. In some cases, we do apply for the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification. For example, our 35,000-square-meter data center in Hockley, Texas, was the first HP facility to be LEED certified to the Gold level. The facility was built using locally produced construction materials, features energy-saving systems, uses wastewater from the cooling process for landscaping, and encourages low-carbon commuting by offering bicycle racks and designated parking spaces for low-emission vehicles. The Hockley facility is about 15 percent more energy efficient than the average HP data center.
In 2010, we achieved LEED certification for two additional facilities:
- Our renovated HP Finland headquarters in Espoo, Finland, is LEED Gold certified. We installed upgraded cooling, heating, ventilation, and lighting systems, and modified the waste disposal and recycling system to collect waste suitable for energy generation, which is sent to a specialist waste-to-energy vendor for processing. Compared with the previous year, the building's carbon footprint decreased by an estimated 780 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent—equivalent to removing 149 cars from the road for a year—while water use fell by 18% and the waste recovery rate rose to 95%.
- A new call center facility in Conway, Arkansas, provides employees with views to the outdoors from 90% of regularly occupied spaces. Window glazing and user-controlled ventilation reduce the energy needed for air conditioning, while highly efficient fixtures decrease water use by up to 45%. Bicycle racks and designated parking spaces for low-emission vehicles encourage low-carbon commuting.
Office furnishings
We increasingly select remanufactured carpet for our offices, as well as furniture designed to have a reduced environmental impact. Where possible, we source locally manufactured furnishings to reduce transport distance.
In selecting suppliers for carpet and furniture for HP offices, we evaluated submissions from each potential supplier detailing their company's overall environmental program along with environmental characteristics of each product. Companies we chose to work with include InterfaceFLOR for carpet; Steelcase for global seating; and Herman Miller, Haworth, and Teknion for systems furniture.