TECHNOLOGY
waste management , all these types of things . That ’ s just good business sense really , not to waste things . The circular economy is a slightly different mind-set of how to move ourselves away from transactional to contractual relationships with customers . And that ’ s the piece that we ’ re working on now , and it ’ s bringing with it these sustainable benefits .
“ If other people see these benefits and drive it from a business perspective , then there is a very nice story to tell . I ’ m not trying to force anything on people , it ’ s what businesses want to do for their customers . ‘ Instant Ink ’ is a fantastic example of that , it was grown by the business to address a real customer need .”
CLOSING THE LOOP Instant Ink is a service where users pay a monthly subscription fee and their HP printers connect to the internet and automatically order new ink cartridge when levels are low .
“ We ’ ve made it really easy for people . In the box there ’ s a return envelope so you take your old cartridges and post them to us . They ’ re really easy to recycle . We ’ re mitigating issues about the quality of the materials , what ’ s in them , and all of the big manufacturing conundrums that go with it , so we continue to work on recycling content across all our product lines .” This is one of the ways HP is implementing circular economy into its operations . Cartridges are made from plastic recycled from bottles in Haiti . This work serves several purposes : it is cleaning up Haiti ’ s environment by preventing the plastics from leaching into the Caribbean Sea and therefore polluting the ocean , while providing jobs to the people the company employs as collectors , therefore improving the local economy .
Additionally , since 2013 its carbon emissions have reduced by 21 %, aided by a decreased product transportation , and using smaller and less energy-intensive computers and tablets . In the United States it endorsed an open letter to then President Elect Donald Trump , urging him to honour the nation ’ s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement .
HP has committed to advancing the skills of half a million workers by 2025 , particularly females , students , and employees from minority backgrounds .
22 August 2017