Date: April 6, 2006
Source: PR Newswire
ISRI has named HP the recipient of its first Design for Recycling® award. The award was created to recognize a company or individual that has made progress in achieving the goal of Design for Recycling®, a voluntary program that encourages manufacturers to consider end-of-life recyclability in the earliest stages of product design. The award will be presented Thursday, April 6, during the closing session of ISRI's 2006 Convention and Exposition at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
ISRI has advocated Design for Recycling® for more than two decades. Its predecessor organization, the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, approved the program in the early 1980s with the expectation that products designed with recycling in mind could be recycled more safely and efficiently, eliminating hazardous and nonrecyclable materials to the extent possible. The concept was also intended to eliminate impediments to recycling and to increase the recyclable yield of products at the end of their useful lives.
This year ISRI chose to honor a company or individual whose product design has incorporated one or more of the following:
Reduction in the number of different recyclable materials
Reduction or elimination of hazardous constituents
Increased yield of the product's recyclables
Improvement in the safety of recycling
Design that allows for easy disassembly for recycling
In announcing the selection of HP for the award, ISRI President Robin Wiener said, "We chose HP because of its documented efforts to reduce the use of hazardous substances, to simplify component design, and to build computers and printing products for easy disassembly and recycling."
"We are honored to be recognized by ISRI for our environmental design efforts," said David Lear, HP vice president, Corporate, Social, and Environmental Responsibility. "We have been focused on sustainability for many years and will continue to integrate environmental considerations into HP products and services on a global basis."
HP has worked for many years to design products that are easier to recycle. The firm operates several recycling facilities, which allows it to determine the most effective design features to facilitate product recycling. HP has developed standards that integrate clear design guidelines and checklists into every product's design process to assess and improve recyclability. These design features include:
Using modular design to allow components to be removed, upgraded, or replaced,
Eliminating glues and adhesives by using, for example, snap-in features
Marking plastic parts weighing more than 25g according to ISO 11469 international standards, to speed up materials identification during recycling
Reducing the number and types of materials used
Using single plastic polymers
Using molded-in colors and finishes instead of paint, coatings, or plating
Additional information about HP's design for recycling programs is available at www.hp.com.
Information about ISRI's Design for Recycling® program is available at www.isri.org.
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