SPONSORED CONTENT
TACKLING PL ASTIC
WASTE FOR A MORE
SUSTAINABLE
WORLD
HP IS COMMITTED TO
REDUCING PLASTIC BY FINDING
NEW WAYS TO KEEP IT OUT
OF ITS MANUFACTURING
PROCESSES.
HP USES RECYCLED OCEAN-BOUND PLASTIC BOTTLES
TO MAKE ORIGINAL HP INK CARTRIDGES AND HARD-
WARE, DIVERTING MORE THAN 700,000 POUNDS—
25 MILLION PLASTIC BOTTLES—SINCE 2016.
Eight million. That’s how many metric tons of plastic
end up in the world’s oceans every year. It destroys ocean life and even turns up in
the fish and seafood we eat. While much of this material is recyclable, an alarming
amount of plastic that doesn’t reach the ocean ends up in landfills.
Manufacturers can play an outsized role in solving the plastic waste problem.
One of the recognized leaders in sustainability is HP, which produces printers,
printer ink and toner cartridges, personal computers, and 3D-printing solutions. The
company manufactures 100% of its toner cartridges and 80% of its ink cartridges
using recycled content. Today, HP uses 1 million recycled plastic bottles per day
and has diverted more than 25 million post-consumer plastic bottles from reaching
waterways and oceans.
“HP knows that what is good for the environment is good for business and
society,” says Nate Hurst, HP’s chief sustainability and social impact offi cer. “Our
purpose is to create technology that makes life better for everyone everywhere and
to create experiences that positively impact people, the planet, and our communities.
This starts with transforming our entire business to a more effi cient, circular, and
low-carbon model.”
That commitment is evident in HP’s legacy of leadership in promoting a closed-
loop plastics supply chain. By recycling existing print cartridges to create new ones,
HP is helping reduce the use of virgin plastic and avoid plastic waste ending up in
landfi lls. More recently, HP has expanded its closed-loop manufacturing process to
include hardware —the HP Tango printer, for example, is made with more than 30%
recycled plastic by weight.
One of HP’s most effective sustainability projects has been its impact sourc-
ing initiative in Haiti. Following the country’s devastating
2010 earthquake, its already weak trash collection system
buckled, and tons of plastic and other waste piled up on
beaches, in waterways, and in communities. HP has worked
with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and supplier
partners to create a sophisticated supply chain in Haiti to
collect and incorporate the plastic waste into its closed-
loop plastics supply chain—creating nearly 1,000 jobs for
Haitians and providing health care and education for their
families.
“Our investments and partnerships in Haiti are a great
example of the positive change that can happen when
businesses and NGOs come together to support shared
objectives to benefi t the planet, our people, and global
communities,” says Ellen Jackowski, HP’s global head of
sustainability strategy and innovation.
“Recycling is the answer to plastics waste and to
enhanced sustainability,” says Steve Alexander, president
of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), an interna-
tional trade association representing the plastic-recycling
industry. “One of the most important aspects of recycling
is sorting the materials, because otherwise they’re going to
get thrown out.”
HP knows that in addition to being good for the environment, sustainability is
good business. In 2018, HP tracked more than $972 million in new revenue as a
direct result of its sustainability programs, a 35% year-over-year increase.
Meanwhile, companies are encouraging their suppliers to provide recyclable
packaging, and it’s in their interest to do so. These days, says Alexander, “it’s
what customers expect.” ■
