Dell Builds PC from Recycled Plastic, Electronics

Dell, in what it says are two IT industry firsts, has launched carbon-negative packaging and is using UL-Environment certified closed-loop recycled plastics in the manufacturing of computers.

The packaging is based on carbon-negative AirCarbon material from biotech start-up, Newlight Technologies. The process to produce the plastic material sequesters more carbon than it produces, pulling carbon from the air. AirCarbon has been independently verified by Trucost in cooperation with NSF Sustainability as a carbon-negative material on a cradle-to-grave basis.

The AirCarbon-based packaging will launch this fall beginning with the packaging sleeves around new Dell Latitude series notebooks. Dell is piloting AirCarbon packaging in the US, and plans to extend it globally for use in both packaging and products. Previous Dell sustainable packaging includes bamboo and wheat straw that helped eliminate 20 million pounds of packaging and saved 18 million dollars.

The new AirCarbon packaging, which is less expensive to manufacture than oil-based plastic packaging, brings Dell another step closer to achieving its goal of using 100 percent sustainable packaging by 2020.

Dell’s new closed-loop supply chain developed in partnership with Wistron GreenTech will turn plastics from recycled electronics back into new systems. The Dell OptiPlex 3030 All-in-One desktop will be commercially available in June.

This partnership will help Dell cut e-waste and reduce carbon emissions by 11 percent compared with virgin plastics.

Dell has set a goal of using 50 million pounds of recycled-content plastic and other sustainable materials in its products by 2020.