Green Packing to Save Dell Over $8 Mln

Dell says it plans to revolutionize computer packaging, in a move that will eliminate over 20 million pounds of packaging material...and save the company over $8 million.

Computer maker Dell has set itself a goal of being the greenest technology company on the planet, and as part of that effort has announced they plan to revolutionize computer packaging with moves that will reduce the amount of packaging it uses over the next four years by 20 million pounds…and, coincidentally, save the company some $8.1 million.

"We’re challenging every technology company to join us in implementing a global green packaging strategy," said Dell’s director of sustainable business Tod Arbogast, in a release. "In doing so, we will drive extraordinary environmental and cost savings for our businesses and customers while setting a new efficiency model for other industries to follow."

As part of the plan, Dell intends to reduce the amount of packaging material used for noteboook and desktop computers by about 10 percent, and work to make 75 percent of the remaining packaging materials "curbside recyclable" by the year 2012. Soe of Dell’s packaging materials will be made from recycled materials, including plastics from milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles. Dell estimates it will use almost 2 million recycled milk jugs next year to pad its Studio Hybrid mini desktop, and some 33 million other recycled milk jugs as part of packaging for other systems.

Dell has also launched a Web-based interactive Greenprint Advisor detailing its environmental efforts to businesses and organizations, although Dell says it plans to open the site to everyone in coming months.