Dell has announced an industry-first shipment of ocean plastics recycled packaging.
The shipment is a result of an innovative pilot programme where Dell recycled plastics collected from waterways and beaches for use in the new packaging tray for its Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. The technology company says this is part of its broader sustainable supply chain strategy and that it hopes that in this year alone the pilot programme will keep some 7 250kg of plastic from entering the ocean.
A 2015 study reported between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste entered the ocean in 2010 alone.
The ocean plastics supply chain process is made of multiple stages where firstly Dell's partners intercept ocean plastics at the source in waterways, shorelines and beaches before it reaches the ocean. The company then processes and refines the used plastics, mixes the ocean plastic 25% with other recycled high-density polyethylene plastics (the remaining 75%) from sources like bottles and food storage containers. Finally, it moulds the resulting recycled plastic flake into new packaging trays and ship the trays for final packaging and customer delivery.
"This new packaging initiative demonstrates that there are real global business applications for ocean plastics that deliver positive results for our business and planet. We look forward to working across industries for broader impact," said Kevin Brown, chief supply chain officer at Dell. Dell says it will transition its XPS 13 2-in-1 to ocean plastics packaging beginning 30 April 2017.
"We will include educational information on its packaging to raise global awareness and action on ocean ecosystem health solutions, an area of shared interest between Dell, its social good advocate, Adrian Grenier and the Lonely Whale Foundation," said the company.
In order to ensure that the packaging does not end up back in the oceans, Dell will stamp each tray with the No 2 recycling symbol, designating it as high-density polyethylene. Dell's Packaging team designs and sources its product packaging to be more than 93% recyclable by weight so that it can be reused as part of the circular economy.
As of January 2017, Dell reached its 2020 goal of using 22,6kg of recycled materials in its products.
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