Dell Wraps Netbooks in Panda-Friendly Bamboo
Bamboo packaging is sustainable, but Dell still faces criticism for delays in banning some toxic substances in its products
Computer-maker Dell has announced that its netbooks are being shipped in inner packaging made from sustainable bamboo, with plans to expand use of the fast-growing plant in its products.
Dell’s Insprion Mini 10 and Mini 10v netbooks are going to be wrapped in a protective inner container made from bamboo which the company said in a statement this week acts as more sustainable alternative to molded paper pulp, foam or cardboard.
“The use of bamboo for electronics packaging is pretty new, but its viability as a great packaging material can’t be ignored,” said Oliver Campbell, Dell’s senior manager of packaging worldwide. “We’re introducing it with mobile products, as it’s proven a strong, sustainable and cost-effective solution for packaging those. We’re actively working to integrate this and other innovative, agricultural materials into packaging for products across our portfolio.”
According to Dell, it is also working closely with the packaging provider Unisource Global Solutions (UGS) to make sure the production and harvesting process is ethical. UGS apparently sources its bamboo from from forests that adhere to rules set out by the Forest Stewardship Council. In particular, Dell is keen to point out that the forests in China’s Jiangxi Provence are far away from any panda habitat.
In addition, figures from the World Wildlife Fund say an acre of bamboo is able to store 6.88 metric tons of carbon per year which works out to more than 70 percent than traditional hardwood.
But while Dell has made progress in improving the sustainability of its packaging, Greenpeace has criticised Dell and other PC makers for not eradicating some toxic substances from its products. The green group said that Dell had withdrawn its timeline for eliminating BFR and PVC from its equipment. Greenpeace claims that PVC could and should be phased out by all manufacturers. “PVC is not necessary in electronics. Indeed, a number of companies have already phased it out of a wide range of their products and committed to a total phase-out,” the campaigning group claims.
Earlier this year, Dell said it had also become the first computer maker to ban the export of non-working electronics to tackle the issue of e-waste. “We are banning the export of that waste from any OECD country to any non-OECD country either directly or through intermediaries,” said Mark Newton, Dell’s senior manager for environmental sustainability.
But some experts claim that Dell’s efforts on banning the export of potential e-waste don’t go far enough. Tony Roberts (pictured), founder of UK IT charity Computer Aid – which donates PCs to the developing world – said that despite action taken by the likes of Dell and HP to tackle the e-waste problem, vendors could do more to stamp out the problem as well as improving the sustainability of PC design. “They must also consider the design of their products and reduce their use of hazardous substances in the manufacturing process, so they can be more easily recycled,” said Roberts.
