Environmental Friendly HP

HP announced that it is the first company to receive approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have the agency’s SmartWay logo displayed on a selection of its consumer product packaging for the compliance of its surface transportation network.

SmartWay is a freight industry program aimed at reducing fuel consumption, greenhouse gases and other air emissions. In addition, HP is further reducing the environmental impact of the transport of its consumer notebook PCs, which are air shipped from China to consumers and retailers, with a pilot program using plastic shipping pallets.

SmartWay is a voluntary partnership between the EPA and the freight industry. The program’s goals are to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 33 million tons annually by 2012 and nitrogen oxide (NOx) by 200,000 tons annually, along with additional reductions in particulate matter and air toxins. The initiative will result in fuel savings up to 150 million barrels of oil annually – or the equivalent to removing 12 million cars from the road.

While the EPA has more than 700 SmartWay Transport Partners – HP became a partner in 2007 – HP today is the first company to have the SmartWay logo placed on its product packaging. In order to display the SmartWay logo, HP must certify its service transportation carrier network is using 100 percent SmartWay compliant carriers.

SmartWay Transport Partners must commit to measure current environmental performance with the SmartWay Transport F.L.E.E.T. (Fleet Logistics Energy and Environmental Tracking) Performance Model for carriers, commit to improve that performance within three years and sign the SmartWay Transport Partnership Agreement.

In addition to meeting these requirements, HP undertook a thorough assessment of its logistics providers for its HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario consumer desktops, monitors and accessories and worked with them to meet the EPA requirements and even changing or temporarily eliminating partners that would not comply. As a result, 100% of the carriers for these products are now SmartWay partners, qualifying the products to carry the SmartWay logo.