HP: Material Use
From Lauraibm
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Materials innovation at HP means reducing the environmental impact of materials we select or already use for our products. This innovation often aligns with our objective of reducing materials and recycling costs. HP considers three aspects of materials innovation:
Materials Substitution and Elimination
HP supports a precautionary approach, by which we mean that we strive to replace a material when scientific data has established a potential health or environmental risk, even if its use is legally permitted. Before substituting a material for these reasons, we identify an alternative that has a lower environmental impact and meets quality and cost requirements. For example, in 2006 we replaced solvent-based paints on some of our workstations and digital televisions. The water-based paints we are using avoid organic vapor emissions during the coating process and make the plastics using these paints easier to recycle.
We work with the electronics industry and our suppliers to introduce new materials when alternatives do not yet exist. For example, we continue to investigate alternatives to PVC-coated wires and cables as well as replacements for TBBPA on printed-wiring boards.
Ideally, we design products to remove the need for materials of concern, rather than replacing a substance with lower environmental impact.
Reduction of Materials Quantity
HP strives to use less material in products through improved product design and technological advances. For example, HP All-in-One products that combine printers, scanners, copiers and fax machines in a single unit can reduce materials use by up to 40%, compared to separate standalone devices.
As the balance of products HP sells has shifted from PCs to notebooks and from cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors to flat panel displays, material use per unit has decreased. A typical flat panel display uses little more than half the weight of materials in a conventional CRT screen and requires approximately 60% less energy in use. The weight difference between PCs and notebooks is even more dramatic – typically an 80% reduction. Combined, a notebook with an additional flat screen display represents only one-third of the weight of a PC with a CRT. This smaller size saves roughly a third of the packaging weight and decreases energy consumption in transport to customers.
Innovative and Recycled Materials
HP works with suppliers to identify materials that will reduce the environmental impact of HP's products and that of our customers.
We evaluate the total life cycle, environmental impact and cost of any new material, and we strive to identify substitute materials that have lower total environmental and health impacts than the materials they replace. It can be difficult to confirm claims for new materials because they may not have been researched as thoroughly as existing materials. For example, we cannot yet be confident about materials to replace PVC from wires and cables. Thermoplastic rubber/elastomer (TPR/TPE) and polyethylene-derived hybrids are emerging, but these materials are not sufficiently developed for wide-scale use. Long-term environmental impact assessments and safety approval for these materials have yet to be finalized.
HP has an extensive recycling network which is a potential source of recycled plastics for use in new products. While HP would like to take advantage of this fact, the potential is limited for several reasons. The greatest difficulty is that most recycled plastics contain substances that we have eliminated from our current products. Also, mixed plastics do not have the mechanical properties necessary for use in new IT products, and it is difficult to separate dissimilar plastics during recycling to produce a homogenous material. Finally, logistical constraints limit our ability to move large volumes of material from the regions where recycling is conducted to the regions where most new products are made. Recycling is an area in which we continue to look for improvements.
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- 5. Material Use
