Environmental Sustainability Initiatives at Hewlett-Packard Company (A): Addressing Climate Change Concerns

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Introduction Contd...

In the first decade of the 21st century, HP won many accolades for its continuous endeavors in the field of corporate environmental responsibility4 (Refer to Exhibit I for a glossary of terms related to the IT industry's impact on the environment). The measures it took were in the areas of chemicals management in product design; reducing the carbon footprint of its operations; bringing innovations in energy-efficient solutions for its customers; establishing a vast network for recycling of various categories of products; and finally, making its supply chain actively participate in the company's environmental sustainability commitment (Refer to Exhibit II - A for a partial list of recognitions received by HP for environmental sustainability).

In the Greenpeace⁵ Cool IT Challenge⁶, the company lagged well behind International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)⁷, Sun Microsystems, Inc⁸, and Dell, Inc⁹...

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4] The focus of this case (Case A) is on HP's initiatives to address climate change concerns. Case B addresses issues of chemicals management in product design, recycling, and reuse.
5] Greenpeace is a Netherlands-based nonprofit organization working toward serious environmental concerns such as oceans and forest conservation, encouraging the usage of renewable energy, toxic chemicals expulsion, and nuclear disarmament. It was started in the year 1971 and as of May 2009, it operated in 40 countries. It raised funds only from individuals and foundations, and did not accept contributions from governments and corporations to preserve its autonomy. Source: www.greenpeace.org (Accessed on May 5, 2009).
6] A report by Greenpeace on the status of IT companies in meeting the climate change challenge. It measured the companies' initiatives based on the following criteria: climate solutions, leader speech, political advocacy, emissions from companies, and renewable energy usage. Its first report was released in May 2009.
7] Based at New York, IBM was one of the worlds' leading companies in IT products and services. The company manufactured mainframes and servers, storage systems, and related products. Its IT services contributed to more than half of its revenues. As of December 2008, it earned annual revenues of US$ 103.6 billion with employee base of over 390,000 operating in more than 170 countries. Source: www.ibm.com (Accessed on November 6,, 2009).
8] Headquartered at California, Sun Microsystems was a leading manufacturer of computer systems and provider of IT services globally. In April 2009, it was acquired by Oracle Corporation. Source: www.sun.com (Accessed on November 6, 2009).
9] Dell, Round Rock, Texas was one of the world's leading manufacturers of computing products such as desktops, laptops, computer peripherals, servers, workstations, storage devices, LCD TVs, and other electronic items like cameras and mobile phones. It earned annual revenues exceeding US$ 61 billion for the financial year 2008; as of December 2008, it employed over 88,000 people with a presence in more than 220 countries.

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