Dell to Use Closed Loop Recycled Plastics & Carbon Negative AirCarbon Packaging

Round Rock, Texas based computer manufacturer, Dell has launched two new sustainability initiatives including the use of closed loop recycled plastics in its PCs and a carbon negative plastic packaging. The company claimed to be first in the IT industry to introduce carbon-negative packaging, through a partnership with Newlight Technologies, inventor and manufacturer of AirCarbon. Dell also claimed to be the first to use closed-loop recycled plastics certified by independent testing and certification company, UL-Environment, in the manufacturing of computers. The recycled plastic initiative is being implemented in partnership with Wistron GreenTech, a global original design manufacturer and one of Dell’s official environmental partners. According to Dell, the independent, third-party verification of a closed-loop plastics process establishes the first industry standard for closed-loop and supports a circular economy for IT. Closed-Loop Recycling The PC manufacturer explained that its closed-loop supply chain, developed in partnership with Wistron GreenTech, will turn plastics from recycled electronics back into new systems. By reusing plastics already in circulation, Dell said that it is cutting down on e-waste, saving resources and reducing carbon emissions by 11% compared with virgin plastics. Dell already offers free consumer recycling in 78 countries. “Dell and Wistron’s incorporation of closed loop post-consumer recycled plastics in the OptiPlex AIO line of computers is a significant step towards industry leadership in reducing e-waste,” commented Lisa Meier, vice president and general manager of UL Environment. “The content validation by UL Environment adds credibility and peace of mind for the purchasers and end users of Dell’s products, and highlights the company’s overall commitment to environmental stewardship,” she continued. The UL Environment certification verifies that Dell has exceeded the standard of a minimum of 10% of closed-loop post-consumer recycled plastics in the chassis enclosure of all Dell OptiPlex 3030 All-in-One PCs globally. Dell added that it plans to use this closed-loop approach as a blueprint for reusing metals and other materials and to accelerate its goal of using 50 million pounds (22,700 tonnes) of recycled-content plastic and other sustainable materials in its products by 2020. AirCarbon Packaging Dell’s second sustainability initiative, its carbon-negative AirCarbon packaging material, has been developed by bio-tech start-up, Newlight Technologies. The company explained that while almost all plastics today are developed from fossil fuels, AirCarbon is a plastic material made from air and greenhouse gases that would otherwise become part of the air. This process is claimed to sequester more carbon than it produces, pulling carbon from the air and generating a net positive impact on the environment. AirCarbon has been independently verified by Trucost in cooperation with NSF Sustainability as a carbon-negative material on a cradle-to-grave basis. For more on this material check out the second story in this week’s WMW Newscast in which Newlight Technologies Co-founder, Mark Herrema explains how it is made. Read More VIDEO: TEDx Talk on Recycling Carbon from Wastes into Renewable Oil A presentation by Dr Lisa Dyson, CEO of Kiverdi exploring ways of harnessing extreme microbes to recycle carbon into renewable fuels and chemicals, has been published by TEDx Talks. Agricultural LDPE Film Recycling Firm Secures Funding in Florida Florida AgriculturalPlasticRecyclers has completed its Private Placement with an international investor group to implement phase I of its LDPE Ag-Film recycling program. CP Group Equips 275 TPD Single Stream Recycling Facility in Minnesota Minnesota based recycling firm, Dem-Con Companies has teamed up the CP Group to develop its new 20 ton per hour single stream material recovery facility.