© 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.The information contained herein is subject to change without notice

IT Product Recycling: A Product Stewardship Solution

Heather BowmanHewlett-PackardCOG Recycling CommitteeWashington, DCJuly 21, 2005

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Presentation Overview• HP and Product Recycling Solutions Group• HP Experience• HP Position• HP’s Concerns with the ARF Approach• Summary

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HP in brief

•Leading global supplier of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home

•Employ 150,000 employees in 170 countries; doing business in 43 currencies and 15 languages

•Manage 36,000 active products used by people for personal use and in industry, business, engineering, science and education

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HP’s Product Take Back Organization• Established in 1987 to acquire support materials

from retired HP assets • Current charter: to provide end-of-life services to

HP entities and customers• Operated jointly as a strategic alliance with

Noranda, Inc.− Occupies 200,000 square feet in Roseville, CA,− 140,000 square feet in Nashville, TN

• Noranda also occupies 80,000 square feet in Brampton, Ontario Canada which is utilized by HP’s Canada operations

• Take back managed on a global basis from both a business and policy standpoint

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Why is environmental sustainability important to HP?• HP’s commitment to corporate

environmental responsibility started with David Packard and William Hewlett in1930’s

• Reduce environmental footprint of HP products in the market and throughout product life cycle

• Provide customers with the best value and experiences through innovative, environmentally-sound products

• Competitive requirement in a global market

• Compliance with complex environmental standards and government regulations worldwide

• Environmental concerns for organized interests (NGO’s) and consumer preferences

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HP’s environmental commitmentReducing impact throughout the product life cycle

•Design for Environment− Right materials, minimizing

parts, enabling recyclability, product stewards across the business

− Formal DfE program since 1992

•Manufacturing− Production processes to

minimize environmental impact

•Use− Minimize waste (failures,

reprints), greater energy and resource efficiency

•End of Life Management− Convenient return and

recycling, material recovery

ProductLifecycleProductLifecycle

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HP Experience• In-house recycling since 1987− Monthly volumes: 4,000,000 pounds; or 11,000 pallets; or

160,000 pieces• In 2004, with partner Office Depot, HP offered

customers the opportunity to drop off any product at an Office Depot Store at no charge− Over 10,600,000 pounds of products were collected− Products collected were recycled by HP in Roseville, CA or

Nashville, TN• Planet Partners Hardware Recycling program –

internet based mail back program over 6 years• Through Electronic Industries Alliance sponsored

four collection projects (Florida, Massachusetts, EPA Region III, New England)

• Member/Sponsor of EPA’s Plug-in To e-Cycling Program – Sponsoring events in Florida, Northwest, and with Staples in New England

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Ideal System: Product Stewardship Solution• Producer responsibility model with a level playing field• Flexible system, allowing manufacturers to manage

recycling costs like any other business expense (including whether to have visible fee)

• Allow companies to work collectively or individually• Responsibility based on specific brand products

returned• Easy of transition to national system or regional

approach• Creates an incentive for better design by allowing

manufacturers to receive Design For Recycling (DFR)-effects and economies of scale of their own products

• Gives manufacturers a voice in ongoing decisions in proportion to the take back burden

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What does shared responsibility look like?

Customer drops

off product

Collection/consolidati

onpoint

Recyclingmanaged bymanufacturer

(Full truckload

spicked up by mfrs)

(New products shipped out by mfrs)

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HP Position - What we SUPPORT:• Producer Responsibility • Level playing field−All manufacturers−All types of consumer sales (internet, catalog,

retail stores)

• Responsibility assigned to manufacturers based on physical measures (not financial ones)

• Flexible: −Collective or individual−Own branded products or equivalent share −Option to establish relationships with partners−Option to set up a program or pay

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HP Position -What we do NOT support• Policy that does not reward investments in

design• Complex fee and reimbursement schemes

tied to ambiguous product categories • Systems that are run by a bureaucratic

administration−Money collected may not be relative to actual

costs of system−Less effective recycling, no incentive to be

efficient or create new−Higher costs

• Forcing companies which often have competing needs to collaborate

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Lessons Learned• Complex issue – no easy answers • State agencies need to be prepared to be

involved under either system • Clear guidance is necessary for all

stakeholders involved• Enforcement under either system may be

difficult• Difficult to predict consumer behavior

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Summary• Producer Responsibility system will work

without adding new “taxes” or creating a large government agency to collect fees

• Easy of transition to National System if implemented at state level

• Flexibility in collection and recycling programs• Limited government role• Limited burden on retailers• Provides resources or eliminates burdens on

local government and recycling system• Allows choices for manufacturers – play or pay

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Contact information:

Heather BowmanHewlett Packard Company

1100 New York Ave, NW Suite 600W

Washington, DC 20005

heather.bowman@hp.com

202.378-2528