H E W L E T T - PA C K A R D
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Green machines Jane Bordenave talks to Ruben Janse van Rensburg about HP’s product lifecycle strategies in Africa and putting sustainability at the heart of its business.
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Hewlett-Packard FEATURE
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ewlett-Packard Corporation, more commonly known as HP, is one of the world’s largest IT companies, providing solutions that encompass the whole range of desktop computing and peripherals. As a company, it has been offering recycling services since 1957, however in South Africa this is a newer venture. In April 2009, HP in South Africa began recovering hardware that had reached the end of its life and sending it for recycling. In South Africa and Africa as a whole there is little if any specific guidance or legislation in place for companies to follow regarding end of life disposal and E waste. But HP has not taken this as a signal to do nothing; the company is applying the high standards of its global policy in this area to its operations in
HP’s outlook on product lifecycle management really does follow the maxim of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle Africa, “it is an area that local legislators are looking in to at the moment, although no firm moves have been made yet in any direction,” explains Mr Ruben Janse van Rensburg, Environmental Manager for English Africa, “however, we will of course adapt our policy to meet any additional requirements set out by local government.” The firm’s recycling policy is extensive and includes recycling old products originally sold to its customers by competitors, “clearly we accept that our customers may have used other suppliers before coming to us. They may have old CRT screens or other items that are no longer useable that they need to dispose of but that they did not originally purchase through us,” says Mr van Rensburg, “whether it is something we sold them or not does not www.southafricamag.com
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Hewlett-Packard FEATURE
matter – we will even take things that we don’t sell anymore such as older IT technology products. All we require is that they are a current HP corporate customer and that the total load in question is over 250kg.” The business takes a holistic approach to recycling, and has taken the decision to see through the full process in what Mr Janse van Rensburg describes as a ‘cradle to cradle’ approach, “we have already carefully selected our recycling partners, but we will follow all material fractions of these goods through from the point at which they are picked up to when they are packaged up as, for example, raw materials that will be used to make a new products.” As well as closing the precious metal production loops, precious metals used in circuit boards are also recovered during the recycling process. Like gold, silver and platinum, recovering these materials reduces the energy used in their production process, but it also reduces the need to mine new gold, silver and platinum for this industry too. HP’s outlook on product lifecycle management really does follow the maxim of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. The company’s environmental mission begins even before the point of sale, from product design to educating customers in what solutions will best suit their needs and are environmentally sound . By encouraging right-sizing, the firm can seek to ensure that its products are used in as ecologically sound way as possible. However, this is probably the most difficult part of the company’s green initiative, “education is key
because, while you can send out brochures with the product and give demonstrations at set-up, once it is in the customer’s hands it is up to them to use the equipment properly,” says Mr Janse van Rensburg, “so we need to constantly come up with initiatives that will change people’s attitudes and change their behaviour.” Showing companies how keeping the default dual-sided printer settings, for example, or turning off a monitor can benefit them financially as well as working as part of a Green IT strategy is key. Once customers have decided that a certain piece of equipment is no longer suitable for their needs and have arranged a replacement, HP does not immediately take the old machine for recycling. Instead, the company will try to find a new use for it, “while a company may find that a batch of computers is no longer suitable for them, they may be far from the end of their useful life,” explains Mr Janse van Rensburg.. HP firmly believes in practicing what it preaches and was recognised as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere in 2009. The whole company is ISO14000 certified, including offices like South Africa that don’t have any manufacturing capabilities. It relies on teleconferencing and collaboration software such as HP SkyRoom to enable people to meet and work together on a virtual level, without stacking up air miles in the process. Additionally, it has reduced its number of data centres from than 85 world-wide to 6 in three locations and operates fully open plan offices, reducing energy consumption and office space.
HP does not immediately take the old machine for recycling. Instead, the company will try to find a new use for it, “while a company may find that a batch of computers is no longer suitable for them, they may be far from the end of their useful life
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There are many companies the world over that consider the environmental integrity of its own company to be a key responsibility. Many seek to reduce energy consumption in their buildings and find ways to be greener on a day-to-day level. But not many take this sense of responsibility as far as HP. By taking responsibility for its corporate client’s E waste recycling, and by following the whole process through from cradle to cradle, the company is taking a more holistic approach as to what it means to be an ecologically sound operation. By engaging in customer education on an ongoing basis, it is extending the concept of corporate environmental responsibility in a way that others
Many seek to reduce energy consumption in their buildings and find ways to be greener on a day-to-day level. But not many take this sense of responsibility as far as HP may not have even thought of. And by finding a ‘second hand’ use for its products amongst people who may not have otherwise had the chance to access this type of equipment, it is giving back to the community and helping the local ecosystems. There is always further work to be done and some countries, businesses or communities need more encouragement than others, but by working with local firms to see how environmentally sound policies can benefit their business and their surroundings, and offering a way to get started on the green path, HP is helping to ensure that the IT hardware business also becomes a globally sustainable industry for the future. END
ELECTRONIC RECYLERS
Desco Electronic Recyclers established 1992, is an e-waste recycling company with its head office and processing plant situated in Kempton Park. Desco offers collection, processing and recycling services to electronic equipment importers, IT, telecommunications industries, corporations, government, educational and medical institutions. We offer a sustainable one-stop convenience, assurance of secure premises, controlled recycling processes, data protection and data destruction. Specialised services, such as warehouse and computer room clear-out, can be addressed based on customer requirements, Desco is ISO 14001 certified and conforms to ISO 14001 Environmental Management System requirements. Desco Electronic Recyclers is committed to be a world class e-waste recycler in South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)11 979 3017 Fax: +27 (0)11 979 1938 Email: info@desco.co.za www.desco.co.za
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