Environment & Corporate Responsibility

Dell today commended U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott on the introduction of the Conflict Minerals Trade Act in the House of Representatives. Dell supports the goals of this bill and has long embraced transparency and procurement from a socially and environmentally responsible supply chain.  We have also been encouraging industry dialogue  in an effort to eradicate atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

It will take more than one company, more than one industry, to have an impact in the DRC. The power of a collective multi-industry push is the catalyst that will make the change possible.  Dell is committed to working with other industries, the Government and non-governmental organizations to reach agreement on a solution to purchasing conflict-free minerals and to help implement this solution.

Minerals such as tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold are used in numerous products including those in the aerospace, automotive, electronics and jewelry industries. These minerals are extracted from the DRC, and only a few other locations in the world. In our industry, the mining of these minerals takes place many layers before a final product is assembled, making it difficult, if not impossible, to trace the minerals' origins. It is easy for entire industries to abstain from thinking that this is their problem because of the indirect nature of minerals. But that is not the thinking we encourage of socially and environmentally responsible organizations. Rather, we must use our collective knowledge and resources to ensure that we co-operate and eradicate human rights violations in the DRC and that no layer of our supply chain contributes to these atrocities.

We will continue to lead the conversation,  proactively seek solutions and encourage everyone who has a final product that contains these minerals to join us in this endeavor.

It’s been a big week for packaging – and let’s face it, packaging doesn’t get many big weeks...

Amazon has taken its frustration-free packaging initiative to the next level by launching a certification program. If your product’s packaging is certified ‘frustration-free,” you know you the packaging is easy to open and recyclable. I thought this video demonstrated the concept pretty well.

You might have seen on sites like SlashGear that our Dell packaging engineers got to show their stuff this week, too, with the introduction of bamboo packaging. We’re using it to form the cushions that cradle our Inspiron Mini 10 and 10v inside a box made from 25 percent post-consumer material. You’ll see bamboo incorporated into more of our product packaging early next year, and our engineers are investigating other agricultural materials into our packaging portfolio.

I never thought I’d be one to get excited about packaging, but you have to hear Oliver Campbell, our lead packaging engineer, talk about it. His passion for this stuff is infectious (see Oliver herein the YouTube video in Todd Dwyer's post from last year). I can see why he's excited, especially when you look at what makes bamboo such a great alternative to the paper, foam and corrugate that’s often used for packaging.

• It grows fast. Bamboo is among the fastest growing woody plants in the world. It can grow up to 24 inches per day and reaches full harvesting maturity in three to seven years, significantly faster than hardwoods.
• It’s strong. How’s this for surprising? Bamboo’s tensile strength is similar to that of steel, so customers benefit from really strong packaging protecting their new computers in transit. (Bamboo’s strength is also a reason it’s often used for scaffolding in Asia).
• It’s easy on the environment. Bamboo helps promote healthy soil. It has a deep root system that protect against land erosion, and when harvested correctly, it doesn’t require replanting after harvest.

Oliver and his team are also working hard to ensure all processes associated with the bamboo’s production meet the highest standards. For example, we source our bamboo from a forest that follows Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) principles and criteria, and the bamboo forest is located far away from pandas’ known habitats. See the map below (click on it to see a larger version):

The bamboo is processed mechanically, not chemically, and we’ve worked with our packaging provider to reclaim all the water used during processing.  We’re also working with Unisource Global Services (UGS) to secure FSC-certification for the bamboo’s full chain of custody, from the forest to the manufacturing facilities (which are right there in China), and partnering with Unisource Global Services and Environmental Packaging International to certify the packaging for recycling.

So in summary, our bamboo packaging is good news for customers, products, pandas and the planet. You gotta admit... that’s kind of exciting.

I had the pleasure this week of sharing Dell’s environmental achievements and commitments with Members of the United States Congress. I testified at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement, meant to examine federal government policies to purchase and dispose of IT in environmentally responsible ways.

I highlighted Dell’s green operations, including our improvements in energy efficiency in our facilities, our use of renewable energy, and our achievement of operational carbon neutrality. I also described the work we are doing with our suppliers to encourage improvements in their operations. But the Representatives were most interested in the ways that we help our customers – especially the federal government – achieve their environmental goals.

As an original and active participant in the ENERGY STAR and EPEAT programs, Dell helps shape the standards for environmental stewardship, while we provide a broad range of products to the federal government that meet these high standards. We also help our customers rethink and improve how they use IT, from the desktop to the data-center. Finally, I described how our industry-leading programs for disposal of unwanted electronics help customers, including the federal government, ensure that environmental stewardship extends throughout the complete life-cycle of the IT they purchase.

If you’d like to learn more about our environmental initiatives, I invite you to check out my full prepared testimony, or visit www.dell.com/earth.

University teams from around the world have been on the National Mall in Washington D.C. this week building and displaying their designs for the U.S. Department of Energy's 2009 Solar Decathlon competition.  In addition to educating the public about the potential solar energy has to power our homes, the university teams are competing in ten contests centered on the ways we use energy in our daily lives.  Already, Team California's Refract House has taken the prize for Architecture with a near-perfect score and "Beau Soleil," The University of Louisiana at Lafayette's house designed with disaster survivability in mind, has won for for Market Viability.  All the teams' houses are inspiring works of art and sustainability, and there's still plenty more contests to go before the Decathlon ends.

Dell has been a big fan of this contest (and sustainability in general!) for a while, and we are very pleased to play a role in the Decathlon this year.  We are hosting the voting in the People's Choice competition, and you needn't be on the National Mall to participate.  Participation is easy: A virtual tour of each team's design is available here.  Once you've watched the teams' virtual tour videos, you can vote on your favorite by texting the number on the left side of each video.  The competition is especially stiff this year, so make your choice carefully and vote on your favorite.  The voting closes this Friday (Oct. 16), and the winner will be announced at the Victory Reception on Saturday (Oct. 17). 

If you're like me and weren't able to make it to D.C. to see the houses in person, don't fret.  Coverage of the event has been great, and nearly every detail of the houses and the competition in general has been just a mouse click away. 

• You can follow Tweets from the event here. 
• Regular blog and status updates are available on their Facebook page.
• Loads of cool pictures are available on their Flickr page.
• All videos (including b-roll) from the event are being collected on their YouTube page.  The time lapse video of the solar village on the National Mall being built is especially awesome.

As far as external coverage goes, all the usual suspects in the environmental blogosphere have been present and busy.  I have been especially impressed with Inhabitat's thorough and insightful coverage.

From what I've seen online, this year's Solar Decathlon is shaping up to be a huge success.  Every year this event garners more and more attention, and more eyes on solar power is great news for the sustainability movement as whole.  Don't be surprised if one of the students participating in the competition becomes a global leader and innovator in the green energy and design movement.  

And remember: Once you've taken in all the designs, photos, videos and coverage for the event, don't forget to text in your vote for your favorite design in the People's Choice competition!

For those of you who haven’t heard, next week is Climate Week. Climate change, cap and trade, greenhouse gas emissions – there’s been a ton of talk on these topics this year as the United Nations Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen grows ever closer.

The  challenge is a big one. No question about that. But it’s important to remember that every one of us - in our homes, in our businesses - can do our small part to contribute to significant, important change. And the simplest thing we can do is use…less…electricity.

So in the spirit of Climate Week, I’m taking this opportunity to remind you of a news release Dell issued back in July of this year, when we announced our broadest line of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star 5.0 compliant desktops, workstations and portables ever. Nearly 60 (59) percent of our laptops and 63 percent of our desktop computers are now Energy Star 5.0-compliant. Additionally, almost all of our desktop computers, workstations and laptops consume less than 5 watts in a low-power mode – this exceeds current energy efficiency requirements set by the EPA.

Part of our commitment to the environment is providing customers with computer systems that make a minimal impact on the planet. So when choosing your next computer, consider more than just screen size, battery life, processor speed… Consider how much energy it will require to run over its lifetime. By choosing Energy Star 5.0 products, you choose minimize your carbon footprint. Each one of those choices can, and will, add up to equal real progress for our climate. 

Learn more about Dell’s energy-efficiency efforts here.