As you already know, laptops come packaged in a fair amount of cardboard boxing, plastic and other potential environmental pollutants. The retailers receive these items in even bigger boxes. Their enormous boxes contain smaller ones inside, most with non-biodegradable peanuts and excessive padding material to boot.
HP’s Energy Star Pavilion (dv6929 laptop) will be packaged in 100% eco-friendly, recycled messenger bags instead of the classic cardboard boxes. As a result, they’ve won Wal-Mart’s Home Entertainment Design Challenge, (a contest open to all suppliers of consumer electronics who focus on good innovative packaging designs with emphasis on reducing, reusing, and recycling).
Now HP and Wal-Mart will try and solve this packaging dilemma by shipping several laptops in the same (small) box.
HP affirms that by using their method of packaging, they’ve reduced standard laptop packaging waste by 97%, eliminating most of the cardboard and styrofoam. This method of packaging also allows HP to ship four laptops per standard sized shipping box, as opposed to three when using traditional laptop packaging.
This form of efficient shipping means one out of four trucks transporting this product can be eliminated, saving emissions and fuel. The laptop also comes with a voucher to recycle the laptop being replaced.
The down side is that this version of the laptop will only be sold at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, two stores, that despite recent progression in sustainability, are still boycotted by many environmentalists.
The way I see it, every little bit counts. Coming up with creative ways to reduce waste, gas and other environmental issues helps on some level. I think the messenger bags are a great idea, if you decide not to use it for your laptop, you can always bring it with you to the grocery store!
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