Greener Products

When it comes to protecting the environment, customers expect no less than full transparency. Green procurement programs typically share a common set of environmentally responsible attributes, including:

• Restrictions on environmentally sensitive materials
• Energy-efficient operation
• Low noise-emission standards
• Product recovery and recycling
• Recycled content
• Recyclability

Sustainable Product Development

We set a goal in 2008 to make our notebooks and desktop systems 25% more energy efficient by 2010. To achieve our goal, we’re taking an innovative “green by design” approach for all of our products, striving to use the most energy-efficient components and meet or exceed energy and environmental standards. The bottom line? Our products can be a difference maker for our customers’ environmental goals and their bottom lines.

EPEAT

One of the most comprehensive and rapidly advancing tools in the U.S. for green purchasing is the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). Dell helped to develop EPEAT, currently serves on its board of advisors and was first to list an EPEAT Gold notebook.

EPEAT helps purchasers evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes. EPEAT provides manufacturers a clear and consistent set of performance criteria for product design and market recognition for efforts to reduce the environmental impact of products. For information about the environmental benefits of buying EPEAT-registered products, see www.epeat.net/FastBenefits.aspx

The EPEAT system was developed and implemented through a stakeholder process supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The system evaluates computer desktops, notebooks and monitors based on 51 environmental criteria. All EPEAT-registered products must meet 23 mandatory environmental performance criteria. 28 optional criteria determine whether products earn EPEAT Bronze, Silver or Gold recognition. The system currently covers desktop and laptop computers, workstations, and computer monitors. EPEAT is based on the IEEE 1680 family of standards for electronic product environmental assessment. Dell subscribes to the EPEAT registry. Click here for a list of EPEAT-qualified Dell products.

EPEAT operates an ongoing verification program to assure the credibility of the registry. See Figure below:

Figure X: EPEAT Rankings of Dell’s Registered Products,
as of May 20, 2009

OptiPlex 960

This desktop system combines our highest efficiency desktop power supply technology and power management. And each 1 is made with 10% post-consumer recycled plastic (about 3 bottles worth).

LED Notebook Monitors

We’ve committed to eliminate CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) technology — mini-fluorescent bulbs that contain a few milligrams of mercury — from our notebook displays by 2010. To meet that commitment, we’re transitioning to energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) technology. This innovation was driven by customer requests for greater energy efficiency and longer battery life, but it comes with many other benefits. LED technology allows for thinner design — which allows for smaller volume packaging design, reducing volume shipping costs. The LED technology enables higher efficiency recycling and has more embedded value in the components. For example, Dell’s 15-inch LED display consumes an average of 43% less power at maximum brightness, resulting in extraordinary cost and carbon savings. The company estimates customer savings of approximately $20,000,000 and 220,000,000 kilowatt-hours in 2010 and 2011 combined — roughly equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions from the energy use of more than 10,000 homes.

By leveraging innovations in this technology, we’re driving a technology transition for the industry. As improvements have been made in both cost and performance over the past 3 years, the time is right to switch to LED with all of its energy and environmental benefits.

Energy Smart  

Dell is an industry leader in energy efficiency with the inclusion of Dell Energy Smart™ technologies across our PowerEdge™ portfolio. We’re setting design standards today to deliver in excess of 2 times the useful work per watt in our next-generation platforms.

ENERGY STAR Products

For more than a decade, Dell has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in support of ENERGY STAR®. ENERGY STAR products reduce energy consumption, thereby reducing electricity costs for our customers. The products also result in reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other pollutants emitted during power generation.

EuP Directive

Dell complies and often exceeds all energy-related legislative requirements in the markets that we serve. In the EU, the new Energy-using Products (EuP) Directive requires producers to reduce the power consumption of products in standby and off modes beginning January 2010. In advance of legislation, Dell has a program in place to ensure our products are designed with reduced power consumption and are compliant with the proposed regulations. Dell continues to work with the industry and the relevant authorities on the development of future requirements for the EuP Directive.

Responsible Actions for Greener Products

Dell believes that if reasonable scientific grounds indicate that a substance, or group of substances, could pose significant environmental or human health risks, it is considered a substance of concern. We take precautionary measures to avoid using substances of concern — considering legal requirements, international treaties and conventions, and specific market demands.

For more information on Dell’s precautionary approach to chemical management, see Dell’s Chemical Use Policy at Dell Earth.

To enforce the company’s precautionary measures, we strive to eliminate substances of concern in our products by:

• Maintaining a banned and restricted substance program
• Choosing designs and materials that avoid the use of substances of concern
• Prohibiting supplier use of these substances contractually
• Substituting viable alternative substances

If alternatives are not yet viable, Dell works with its industry partners to promote industry standards and the development of reliable, environmentally sound and economically scalable technical solutions. Consistent with our Chemical Use Policy, we periodically revise our restricted materials list to incorporate legal requirements and address specific market demands and relevant aspects of international treaties and conventions, such as the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR).

Power Management

All Latitude™, OptiPlex™ and Dell Precision™ systems have power management enabled in the factory, as well as all displays, printers and projectors. Factory-enabled power management is available for some Vostro™ products, while only ENERGY STAR Inspiron™ and Studio systems have it.

PRODUCT CHART

TCO

The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO) eco-label requirements cover 4 main areas: ergonomics, emissions, energy and ecology. Dell offers many desktop models that meet TCO’05 and displays that meet TCO‘99 and TCO‘03 voluntary environmental certifications. TCO honored Dell as the 1st certified company for the new TCO’05 desktop label that marks environmental and ergonomic excellence. For more information about TCO, visit www.tcodevelopment.com.

Blue Angel

The Blue Angel is Germany’s environmental label. It is the first and oldest environment-related label in the world for products and services. The Blue Angel label was created in 1978. Several Dell OptiPlex desktop models and printers are certified to this label. For more information about Blue Angel, visit http://www.blauer-engel.de/. Click here for a list of Blue Angel-qualified Dell products.

PC3R

PC3R manages the PC Green Label product ecolabel developed by the PC industry in Japan. Dell has been a member of this program since 2001 and has registered selected OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro, Inspiron and Latitude computer models, as well as monitors. For more information, see http://www.pc3r.jp/e/greenlabel/index.html

CECP

The China Energy Conservation Program (CECP) certification is the minimum requirement for government purchases in China. OptiPlex, Precision, XPS™, Latitude, Inspiron and Vostro have obtained CECP certification. Click here for more information about CECP.

Climate Savers Computing Initiative

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative’s (CSCI) goal is to reduce computer-related energy consumption by 50% by 2010. CSCI works with organizations such as ENERGY STAR and businesses around the globe to encourage the purchase of energy-efficient equipment and use of energy saving tools and policies, such as the use of power management.

Product Safety, EMC and Environmental Datasheets

To view Dell’s product safety, EMC and environmental datasheets, please click here.

Energy Efficiency Calculators

Energy efficiency benefits the environment and lowers the total cost of ownership by reducing power consumption. Dell offers the following energy calculators that help estimate power needs, potential emissions avoidance and potential cost savings:

• Data Center Capacity Planner: provides power, cooling and airflow estimates for servers centers
• Monitor Power Savings Calculator: calculates power saved by enabling monitor power management
• Dell’s Greenprint Advisor: a free Web-based resource center that enables organizations to assess their green initiatives and helps prioritize future actions
• Dell Client Energy Calculator: intended to provide customers a tool to estimate the energy consumed by a computer over a year’s time and the resulting cost to operate the system over that period