Once upon a time companies with a focus on sustainability and the environment were considered as the greenie outliers rather than the mainstream, but it’s now widely accepted that all corporate entities need to work with the triple bottom line (social, financial, environmental) as their guiding principle. Mark Fenson is the Business and Mobility Solutions Evangelist at HP, and he says a major component of his role is advising customers on the importance of focusing on ‘planet, people and community’ and explaining how HP can assist by providing products and services designed to be sustainable.

It’s been well-documented that IT creates a big challenge in this area, but organisations can make positive changes and become more environmentally friendly by making careful decisions about their IT purchases and by favouring sustainable products. They should also consider what type of energy they use and how they use it, says Fenson. HP wants to become a leader in the field by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases it uses in creating its products and encouraging other companies to give a similar focus to the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra. It promotes an economy that is built around a circular supply chain and a strong emphasis on reducing both the fossil fuel use in product manufacture and the percentage of e-waste ending up in landfill.

Easy steps

One of the simplest areas for organisations to address is in printing. Many companies are already recycling their toner cartridges. Fenson says HP recycles up almost a million bottles for use in Original HP ink cartridges, so more than 82 percent Original HP ink cartridges and 100 percent of Original HP toner cartridges contain post-consumer recycled content. But it’s time to consider other components, he says. There is a great deal of plastic used in print cartridges and PCs. HP has started to use a lot more recycled metals and plastics including ocean-bound plastics – which means rescuing plastic that has been set to float around the oceans for the rest of its life cycle, cleaning it up and reusing it back into products, including the Dragonfly G2 notebook.

By 2025 HP aims to have eliminated three-quarters of its single-use plastic and advises all organisations to set similar goals. Since 1991 the company has upcycled into its products 875 million HP cartridges, 114 million apparel hangers and 4.69 billion post-consumer plastic bottles.

It’s also important to look for products that are easily and sustainably maintained. Those that are able to be wiped down and cleaned with simple household cleaning products are a natural and more sustainable choice, says Fenson.

Climate

A huge part of sustainability is focusing on energy usage across supply chains, so switching to renewable electricity and setting GHG emission reduction goals will help all organisations looking to reduce their impact and carbon footprint.

Remote working

One of the benefits of decreased office use, says Fenson, is an associated reduction in printing, which helps to eliminate deforestation. Printers and software designed to optimise paper use and improved recyclability of paper also assist, while digital content is becoming far more prevalent than the constant stream of printed material common in office spaces. Fenson says that HP has achieved zero deforestation associated with HP brand paper and continues to work to zero deforestation associated with HP paper-based product packaging. HP is also focusing its sustainability message on the products designed for those staff working from home. “Employees are critical, PCs are critical,” he says. “You need to enable them with the right device, the right home set-up.” Accordingly, he recommends docking displays that feature both recycled plastics and metals.

More than money

There are tried and tested business cases that prove the fiscal advantages sustainable businesses can enjoy, but there are other benefits. From customers to staff to shareholders, the optics of leading in this space bring rewards. Millennials are increasingly proving to prefer working for companies with values that align with their own. Such concerns are not confined to one generation, of course, but those in the age group most used to changing jobs every couple of years are the ones who will consider a company’s environmental footprint most diligently before joining it. “You don’t want to have your talent walking out the door because you’re making the wrong IT choices,” advises Fenson.

Most notably from a financial viewpoint, customers are demanding change. HP’s 2019 sustainability report detailed $1.6 billion in new sales as being influenced by sustainable impact – around a 69 percent increase on the previous year.

HP’s three-pronged case for sustainable practices
  • Customers – $1 billion year on year increase in sales where sustainability was a known consideration.
  • Staff – 88 percent of Millennials state a desire for employers to contribute to ethical or social causes.
  • Investors – more than 800 investment houses now monitor CDP (carbon disclosure project) rankings.