Business News
HP First to Display U.S. EPA SmartWay Logo
Friday 18. April 2008 - Company continues to reduce its environmental impact with consumer supply chain programs
HP today announced that it is the first company to receive approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have the agencys SmartWay logo displayed on a selection of its consumer product packaging for the compliance of its surface transportation network.
SmartWay is a freight industry program aimed at reducing fuel consumption, greenhouse gases and other air emissions.
In addition, HP is further reducing the environmental impact of the transport of its consumer notebook PCs, which are air shipped from China to consumers and retailers, with a pilot program using plastic shipping pallets.
“HP is not only reducing the impact of our own operations and products on the environment, but also working alongside industry partners, suppliers and regulatory bodies for an even broader global impact,” said Tony Prophet, senior vice president, Worldwide Supply Chain Operations, HP. “With HPs broad portfolio and extensive partnerships, we believe our efforts are good for customers, good for business and good for the planet.”
SmartWay is a voluntary partnership between the EPA and the freight industry. The programs goals are to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 33 million tons annually by 2012 and nitrogen oxide (NOx) by 200,000 tons annually, along with additional reductions in particulate matter and air toxins. The initiative will result in fuel savings up to 150 million barrels of oil annually – or the equivalent to removing 12 million cars from the road.
While the EPA has more than 700 SmartWay Transport Partners – HP became a partner in 2007 – HP today is the first company to have the SmartWay logo placed on its product packaging. In order to display the SmartWay logo, HP must certify its service transportation carrier network is using 100 percent SmartWay compliant carriers.
“I commend HP for their leadership in promoting sustainable transportation practices through the SmartWay Transport Partnership,” said Margo T. Oge, director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. EPA. “This demonstrates a commitment to a cleaner environment and more secure energy supply.”
SmartWay Transport Partners must commit to measure current environmental performance with the SmartWay Transport F.L.E.E.T. (Fleet Logistics Energy and Environmental Tracking) Performance Model for carriers, commit to improve that performance within three years and sign the SmartWay Transport Partnership Agreement.
In addition to meeting these requirements, HP undertook a thorough assessment of its logistics providers for its HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario consumer desktops, monitors and accessories and worked with them to meet the EPA requirements and even changing or temporarily eliminating partners that would not comply. As a result, 100 percent of the carriers for these products are now SmartWay partners, qualifying the products to carry the SmartWay logo.
Additional HP products are expected to soon qualify for the logo as well, as HP has a corporate-wide goal to increase use of SmartWay Transport Carriers for surface transportation of all of its products.
HP further reduces impact of consumer notebook transport
To further reduce the environmental impact of its U.S. consumer notebook transport, HP has begun a pilot program that ships notebooks on pallets made of recyclable plastic rather than wood.
Not only do plastic pallets avoid deforestation, but they also are significantly stronger, lighter and more durable than wooden pallets. In 2006, HP estimated that the use of plastic pallets for airfreight shipments in its existing full-program implementations in Europe and Latin America reduced its transportation CO2 footprint by more than seven metric tons, the equivalent of taking 150 cars off the road for a year.
HPs program also includes recovery and recycling of the plastic pallets through its supplier, AIRDEX International Inc. The European program has been successful in capturing 98 percent of the plastic pallets for reuse or recycling.
“Our plastic pallets contribute to improved human welfare, not only from the direct environmental benefits of reduced CO2 emissions, fuel consumption and deforestation, but also due to the near impossibility of the ultra-light AIRDEX pallet to cause harm to air cargo workers in any way,” said Vance Seagle, founder and chief executive officer, AIRDEX International Inc. “The AIRpallet cargo safety record is a well-proven cost saver combined with the elimination of aircraft cargo bay damage so common when using wood pallets.”
All of HPs major retail partners in the United States have agreed to participate in the pilot program, which began April 1.