02-28-2009, 08:42 PM
Pages 17 and 18 of "A special report on waste" in the February 28 issue of The Economist gives HP high marks for its implementation of "extended producer responsibility" with respect to computer related products. The article states in part that HP
Quote:And a little bit of history from the olden days: The use of screws rather than glue reminded me of a situation that occurred with an airborne computer back in 1960. The manufacturer had replaced screws with epoxy to hold the joints in the construction of the case. The epoxy joints came apart during vibration testing. I suggested that we reinforce the epoxy joints with screws and the repaired devices passed with flying colors. .
...has always tried to design its products not just from cradle to grave, a spokesman explains, but from cradle to cradle -- meaning with recycling in mind. Its laptops are 90% recyclable and its printers at least 70%. By last year HP had recycled over 450,000 tonnes of used equipment....... An engineer explains how a decade of such work has taught HP how to make the process simpler and cheaper. It now uses screws instead of glue wherever possible. ...
... But the firm would like to go further, designing computers so that they can be easily upgraded rather than replaced. ...
Palmer