HP Sustainable Impact: Tackling the Plastic Packaging Problem

Packaging comprises a significant portion of total waste produced and can affect the health of our planet and people, which is why HP set a new goal to eliminate 75 percent of single-use plastic packaging by 2025. The goal focuses on hardware unit packaging and is predicated on a move to molded fiber packaging cushions.  

HP’s environmental packaging strategy aims to eliminate unnecessary plastics and materials of concerns wherever possible. In 2019, HP decided to eliminate power cord plastic ties and plastic document bags in hardware packaging. HP also has shifted to more recyclable, paper-based alternatives. To accelerate this shift, the company is transitioning from plastic foam packaging cushions to those made with 100 percent recycled, molded pulp for HP’s notebooks, desktops and displays. The transition to molded fiber Personal Systems packaging cushions eliminated 933 tonnes of hard-to-recycle expanded plastic foam last year. 

In Printing, HP reduced plastic foam by 40 percent and eliminated over 95 tonnes of the material in 2019 just by redesigning the packaging of a printer model. Launched in 2019, the HP Tango Terra is HP’s first printer with zero plastic packaging, using a combination of molded fiber cushions and glassine paper to replace the typical plastic foam and bag.