EmilyHolbrook
In 2013, Dell Technologies introduced the 2020 Legacy of Good with ambitious sustainability and social goals to put its technology and expertise to work to do the most good for people and the planet. The final report details how the company led many initiatives to solve complex global problems. Goals completed or that the company has made significant progress against so far include:
- Recovered more than 2 billion pounds of used electronics via responsible recycling through programs such as Dell Reconnect, a partnership with Goodwill, and Dell's Asset Resale and Recycling Services (achieved 2020 goal ahead of schedule).
- Reused 100 million pounds of recycled content, plastic and other sustainable materials in Dell Technologies' new products (achieved 2020 goal ahead of schedule).
- Developed and maintained sustainability initiatives in 100% of Dell Technologies-operated buildings (achieved 2020 goal ahead of schedule).
- Reduced wastewater discharge in manufacturing by 4.56M cubic meters.
- Reduced 64% of product portfolio energy intensity footprint.
- Allocated more than $3 billion dollars annually to diverse suppliers within supply chain programs and continued to qualify for the Billion Dollar Roundtable.
Advancing Sustainability
Looking toward 2030, the company says it will continue to accelerate the circular economy, reduce the impact of Dell's operations, support customers' efforts to reduce environmental impacts, and champion the many people who build its products. Examples include:
- After a successful e-waste tracker pilot in partnership with Basel Action Network (BAN), Dell Technologies now makes global tracking technologies part of its existing electronics disposition partner audit program. The pilot program revealed some vulnerabilities in the downstream recycling process, which helped Dell Technologies to quickly take corrective action to address the operational gap.
- Dell recently launched a process to use recycled material, Polyvinyl Butyral (rPVB), from car windshields to create the protective, waterproof lining of Dell laptop bags and backpacks. The company is also using an innovative method of solution dyeing for these backpacks, which results in 90% less wastewater and 29% less energy, while generating 62% fewer CO2 emissions compared to typical piece-dyeing. The first bags and backpacks with rPVB began shipping in February and are forecasted to avoid approximately 74,000 pounds of landfill waste per month.
- In partnership with suppliers Seagate and Teleplan (a storage device recycling/recovery specialist), Dell identified a new closed-loop process to recover the rare earth magnets from recovered enterprise equipment. The magnets are reformed for reuse in new hard-disk drives. In the initial pilot program, we are using the reformed magnets in 25,000 Seagate hard drives for our Dell Latitude 5000 series laptop. Reusing rare earth metals helps us avoid the need to mine the earth, which can cause environmental damage and health concerns for local communities.
