Chemical emissions

HP’s emissions to air from our facility operations are relatively small, and we have equipment and processes in place to control those that do occur. In prior years, we reported estimated emissions from our seven largest manufacturing sites for several conventional air quality parameters. We have since concluded that the scope and nature of these reported emissions are not significant from a companywide viewpoint, and we have not included an update in this report. Local reporting to authorities of these and other indicators will continue where required.

The main substances emitted to air are shown in the table.

Air emissions, 2004-2006 [Tonnes]

	Toxics release inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a mandatory annual report on specified chemicals used in our operations in the United States. HP’s operations, primarily in the manufacture of our imaging and printing products, require the use of several TRI chemicals. Because we have long considered this to be an important measure, we extend TRI reporting criteria to the seven manufacturing sites worldwide that account for the vast majority of HP’s TRI emissions.

Overall, HP’s TRI emissions decreased 3 percent between 2005 and 2006, primarily because of lower use of our largest production solvent, n-methyl pyrrolidone, and reductions in nitric acid and its treatment byproducts, nitrates. Production ramp-up at one of our facilities was responsible for an increase in our use and emissions of xylene.

Disposition by type of TRI material, 2004-20061 [Tonnes]

¹ The substances with global totals greater than 1 tonne are shown. TRI reports are due July 1 each year, so the most recently completed reporting year is 2006.
² 2004 and 2005 data for nitric acid discharged to water are restated (previous table did not account for on-site treatment process).

	Ozone depleting substances

Since eliminating ozone depleting substances (ODS) from HP manufacturing in 1993, we only use ODS at HP facilities in cooling and air conditioning systems. Although these systems are sealed, leaks during operation and maintenance can cause emissions. HP continues to reduce the ozone depleting potential of its cooling and air conditioning systems by replacing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs do not deplete ozone but are greenhouse gases.

We do not measure ODS emissions, but estimate leakage using information from the Third Assessment Report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We estimate that our ODS releases decreased 10% in 2006 compared with 2005 and 21% compared with 2004, due to replacing old air conditioning systems with more efficient units that use gases with a lower global warming potential.

Of particular note, we reduced Dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12) by 65% and Bromotrifluoromethane (Halon 1301) by 12%. The CFC-12 reduction has an additional benefit as well, since it has one of the highest global warming potentials of all refrigerants, 10,600 times that of carbon dioxide.

See performance data, including regional breakdown, in the data table.

¹ Changes in CO and NOx for the Americas from 2005 to 2006 are largely due to a change in the calculation methodology in Boise, Idaho.
² Our Asia Pacific and Japan operations did not measure nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions in 2004.
³ 2004 data restated due to calculation errors.
⁴ 2004 Nitric Acid corrected due to a calculation error found during our audit process.