Dell Responds to Excessive Packaging Claims

Following up on a story we covered on excessive packaging from Dell, the company has posted a response and outlined steps they are taking to address the issue. 

The way Dell choose to respond to this issue is interesting.  As soon as the stories began appearing on various blogs including this one, a representative from Dell was posting comments indicating they were concerned and looking into the matter.  The company also provided some information on what happened and assured readers they would follow up.

Just over two weeks after the story broke Dell did follow up as they promised.  The company posted yesterday on their Direct2Dell blog.  Todd Dwyer, Dell's Community Liaison - Environment explains in the posting how the company is concerned about the excessive packaging issue and taking steps to insure it will not happen again.

Dell's public response is admirable.  Contrast it to the approach other companies we've covered recently have taken, namely Whole Foods and Target who both opted not to provide information on issues.

Dwyer writes:

It's no secret that Dell aims to be the greenest technology company in the world. But on Earth Day last week, sites like The Consumerist, Gizmodo, and other blogs showed us that there's still more work for us to do.

Shortly after we read those posts, we had a team on the road to Dallas to meet with the vendor that shipped this flash drive to see how we can improve the process. End result, there's some easy fixes and some longer-term issues for us to address. Here's an outline:

* Immediate: Directive to use envelopes for small items such as these.

* Short term: Use of smaller boxes. We have requested an optimization analysis of product volume to box size.

* Short term: Implementation of Dell-defined volumetric metrics on void space in the package to be incorporated into our periodic vendor business reviews.

While third party items such as these make up a very small portion of our overall shipping volume, folks here know we need to fix it. Our sincere gratitude goes out to everyone who pointed this irregularity out to us. We hope that all of you will continue to provide feedback like this on any of our green-focused Direct2Dell posts, or if you have ideas about ways we can make improvements, please share them in the Environment section on IdeaStorm.

via Direct2Dell

Dell Latest Company Featured with Packaging Gaffe on The Consumerist

Readers of the popular web site The Consumerist know excessive packaging can be problem.  The site regularly runs stories based on reports from readers who order a product online and receive the item with excessive packaging.

The latest story features a reader who ordered a Kingston 2gb USB flash drive.  The drive arrived promptly from Dell in a box that seemed rather large for the item. 

From The Consumerist: "From the looks of David's package, Dell isn't close to honoring its promise to switch to alternative packaging within the next two months. This obscenely large box contained nothing more than a 2GB flash drive."

The fact consumers are reacting in a negative fashion to excessive shipping packaging is important to note.  It serves as an indicator as to how the issue of excessiveness is resonating with consumers.  Is it the fact that consumers react only in instances of egregious over packaging or are people becoming more and more aware of packaging and excessiveness in general?

Dell isn't alone, Amazon.com is another company whose excessive packaging issues are often featured on the Consumerist.

Dell wants to Become the Greenest Technology Company on Earth

Austin-based Dell Computers wants to become the "greenest technology company on earth," according to a recent company news release.  The comment comes as Dell has rolled out its Plant a Tree for Me campaign to Europe.

European customers can now have a tree planted for them with the purchase of a new Dell for 1 GBP (1 Euro fifty) for a notebook and 3 GBP (4 Euro fifty) for a desktop system.  The Plant a Tree for Me campaign is designed to offset the carbon generated by the electricity needed to power the computers for over three years.

The campaign, along with comments by the company regarding its greenness, are part of a commitment to reduce the "carbon intensity" of their operations by 15% by 2012, and a pledge to review their suppliers to demand that they too follow green practices.

In the United States, Dell has partnered with the Conservation Fund and Carbonfund.org to administer the Plant a Tree for Me program.  It is unclear whether they too will manage the initiative in Europe.

dell recycling

Dell Recycling

image © rider thompson

Over ten years ago in 1996 I bought my first laptop, it was a Dell Inspiron 366mhz Pentium - by today’s standards it was a tank.  That laptop held up well let me tell you and I was able to upgrade it to Windows XP a few years back (which the chair paid for) it still worked up until the day I recycled it a couple of weeks ago.

Fortunately Dell computers has a takeback program for all of its products that does not require the purchase of a new product - they are currently the only ones in the US with such a program (Apple requires purchase of a qualifying computer or monitor).  Their program is one of the most comprehensive in the industry and the leader here in the US, they will also recycle non-Dell branded computer equipment with the purchase of a Dell product. 

In order to recycle a Dell product, consumers need to visit the Dell Recycling website enter the product information and then are prompted to print a prepaid shipping label from DHL to send the computer back to Dell for recycling, a quick visit to the DHL website and you can schedule a pickup. Dell either donates the product, giving it a second life or disposes of it properly.  Dell’s program, partially the result of an expansion of a mandated program in the EU is an important development for consumers here in the US.

The only similar programs in the US are at HP (you pay to recycle ahead of time then you get HP credit toward a purchase) and now after some resistance Apple (requires purchase).  Apple is the subject of a current Greenpeace campaign, Green my Apple, aimed at getting the computer manufacturer to produce a greener product and expand its recycling program to mirror Dell's. 

I found the Dell recycling program to be efficient, easy to use and a tremendous positive for the company.  They have recognized the need to deal with the growing problem of e-waste hopefully other manufacturers will follow in Dell’s footsteps.