Greener Products

Transforming Packaging

We’re implementing a plan to simplify and revolutionize computer packaging that will result in estimated savings of more than $8 million and the elimination of approximately 20 million pounds (10,000 tons) of packaging materials from 2008 through 2012.

Our Dell Packaging Engineering Team continuously develops and reviews improved packing methods that use the least amount of packaging material possible, while still protecting product shipments. We want to lead the industry in this area — creating a metric where one doesn’t currently exist.

We have a deliberate and innovative strategy to increase the sustainability of our packaging. We call it the 3 Cs:

• Cube: How big is the box? Could it be smaller?
• Content: What is the packaging made of? Could it be made of something better?
• Curb: Is it easily recycled?

In December 2008, we committed to eliminate 20 million pounds of packaging by 2012 by shrinking packaging volume by 10 percent (cube), increasing to 40 percent the amount of recycled content in packaging (content), and increasing to 75 percent the amount of materials in packaging to be curbside recyclable (curb).

Packaging consists of the box and the cushioning. We can help our customers by selecting the right packaging materials and using less of them.

Box

Our business client product boxes are made from corrugated cardboard, which is 100 percent recyclable. We use a large amount of recycled cardboard in our new cardboard, but we can’t use 100 percent recycled content because it would lack the necessary structural integrity. So, we focus our efforts on reducing the size of the box (cube). One of the most efficient methods for reducing box size is through the use of our multipacks — when a customer orders several of the same products, upon request, we can bundle them together in a way that greatly reduces the amount of packaging material our customers have to deal with after the equipment is unpacked.

Cushioning

For many reasons, we’re experimenting with a variety of materials to create our cushioning. Regional cost differences and regional environmental concerns must be considered. For products like the Inspiron™, we’re using thermal-form high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which contains 100 percent recycled content* from items such as milk jugs and detergent bottles, which are 100 percent recyclable.

We have introduced new packaging, such as air cushions in Europe, and other cushioning material, such as thermal-form HDPE cushion, in our effort to accomplish the goals of the 3 Cs program.

In November 2009, we began shipping Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and 10v netbooks in packaging made from bamboo, a highly renewable material that serves as a great alternative to molded paper pulp, foams and corrugated cardboard often used in packaging. The bamboo forms the cushions cradling the Mini inside an outer box made from 25 percent postconsumer materials. We plan to expand our use of bamboo packaging to more products in early 2010.

We use bamboo for the following reasons:

• It grows fast. Bamboo, a member of the grass family, is among the fastest growing woody plants in the world. It can grow up to 24 inches per day and reaches full harvesting maturity in three to seven years, significantly faster than hardwoods.
• It’s strong. Remarkably, bamboo’s tensile strength is similar to that of steel, making it a reliable material for protecting technology equipment in transit.
• It’s easy on the environment. Bamboo helps promote healthy soil. The plant’s deep root systems protect against land erosion, and when harvested correctly, it doesn’t require replanting after harvest.

We're working with bamboo packaging supplier Unisource Global Solutions (UGS) to ensure all processes associated with the bamboo’s production meet the highest standards. UGS sources the raw bamboo from a forest that follows Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) principles and criteria. The bamboo forest is located in China’s Jiangxi Province — far away from pandas’ known habitats. We're also working with UGS to secure FSC certification for the bamboo’s full chain of custody, from the forest to the manufacturing facilities.

We're also working with Georgia Pacific, UGS and Environmental Packaging International to certify the packaging for recycling.

We strive to have new packaging materials that are curbside recyclable, are designed for higher cube utilization and can help bring our efforts full circle by incorporating recycled material. For more information about our packaging improvements, see Dell Earth.

* 100 percent recycled content for all Dell cushions except those from India, where there are significant challenges in sourcing recycled polyethylene which passes Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive testing.

Multipack

For orders of multiple systems going to the same location, we offer Multipack — a packaging option that allows multiple systems to be shipped in a single box. Multipack is offered on a limited basis but is available for most servers, OptiPlex™ desktops and Latitude™ laptops. For our M-Series Blade Servers, we have taken Multipack to new heights — shipping a fully configured chassis in a single box. This enables our customers to unpack and start up their new blade servers in about 15 minutes.

Server Multipack

We expanded the popular Multipack program to include the M1000E Blade Server product. The M1000E Multipack holds eight blade systems, saving an estimated 363 tons of packaging material annually.
Other Multipack packaging types include:

• Asia OptiPlex MT packaging — saving an estimated 478 tons of packaging material annually 
• Europe OptiPlex MT packaging — saving an estimated 216.8 tons of packaging material annually
• U.S. notebook box packaging — saving an estimated 317 tons of packaging material annually
• Inbound piece-part packaging for a variety of components — saving an estimated 977 tons of packaging material annually