Dell's Packaging Plan: Cut 20 Million Pounds, Save $8 Million

Dell plans to eliminate 20 million pounds of packaging for its desktop and laptop computers around the world within the next four years, a move expected to save $8.1 million.

The company will cut out about 10 percent of its computer packaging as well as make the remaining packaging greener. Dell wants to make at least 75 percent of its packaging curbside recyclable by 2012 and increase the renewable and recycled content of cushioning and corrugate by 40 percent.

The computer giant will utilize air-filled cushion technology, molded pulp cushions and recycled HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) thermal-formed cushions to replace current foam cushioning.

The plastic HDPE cushions will contain 100 percent recycled content, and the amount Dell plans to use in 2009 will be equivalent to about 33 million milk jugs. Dell is already using recycled HDPE to package its Studio Hybrid PCs, and estimates it will use the equivalent of 2 million milk jugs to protect them next year.

For 2007, Dell aimed to reduce outbound packaging by 10 million pounds, and ended up exceeding that goal by about 10 percent.