Dell Takes Lead in Green Technology

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of Dell’s commitment to be thegreenest technology company on the planet. We've talked before about all the efforts Dell is making to greenify their operations, products, and image, so it's time to take a look at how far they've come. Along with innovative products, they have some significant landmarks to celebrate from the past year.

First, they reported their largest single-year product recycling volume, recovering a massive 102 million pounds of IT equipment from customers – a 20% increase from the previous year. The fact that they've made recycling IT products easier for consumer has helped thes number grow so dramatically.

A second accomplishment to celebrate is their becoming the first major computer manufacturer to offer Silver 80 PLUS-certified power supplies. The 80 PLUS certification means that the equipment exceeds the power supply requirements specified by the EPA’s Energy Star 4.0 standard, which requires the use of 80% or more efficient power supplies. Dell passesd up the standard by 8%, and is a year ahead of schedule for meeting the qualifications of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. This is nothing new for Dell – since 2005, improvements to their desktops alone have avoided creating about 24 million tons of CO2. Their newest desktop, the Vostro Energy-Smart 410, can save users up to 47% in annual energy costs without loosing performance.

And a third item for celebration is progress in Dell's global zero-carbon initiative. Partnering with The Climate Group’s Together initiative, which brings companies, cities, and non-profits together to reduce American’s impact on the planet, Dell is working to provide resources for consumers to manage and reduce energy consumption, in addition to Energy Smart and Plant a Tree for Me. Back in September, they decided the company operations should be carbon neutral by the end of ’08, and they’re on track with that goal, already powering corporate headquarters with 100% green energy and showing themselves to have the lowest carbon intensity of the Fortune 50.

While we know there is more than simple do-good motivation behind the progress, it is nonetheless encouraging to see such a major technology company taking significant steps to clean up their company. It is sure to pull competitors into following their trail, especially since consumers increasingly want products that are both cheap and green, and higher efficiency now means cheaper products later.