2Sustain

The bamboo cushions that Dell uses to package some of its Netbooks and laptops recently received American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-6400 certification. This certification confirms the packaging, made from mechanically pulped bamboo from a Forest Stewardship Council-certified bamboo forest in China, will compost and biodegrade at a rate comparable to known compostable materials when added to a hot, active compost pile.

In addition, the certification assures that the compost resulting from the packaging’s degradation process is of good quality and can sustain plant growth.

Dell first introduced the bamboo packaging in November 2009. The company says it chose bamboo for this green packaging initiative because:

• It grows fast. Bamboo, a member of the grass family, is among the fastest growing woody plants in the world. It can grow up to 24 inches per day and reaches full harvesting maturity in three to seven years, significantly faster than hardwoods.

• It’s strong. Remarkably, bamboo’s tensile strength is similar to that of steel, making it a reliable material for protecting technology equipment in transit.

• It’s easy on the environment. Bamboo helps promote healthy soil. The plant’s deep root systems protect against land erosion, and when harvested correctly, it doesn’t require replanting after harvest.

It’s also interesting to note that bamboo represents a local sourcing option for Dell. The company manufactures computers in China and harvests the bamboo for its packaging from a forest  located in China’s Jiangxi Province. Dell worked with Unisource Global Solutions (UGS) to secure FSC-certification for the bamboo’s full chain of custody, from the forest to the manufacturing facilities, and the company is currently researching how to incorporate other regional agricultural products into its packaging. (Remember the Charity Chair, which can be constructed from essentially whatever materials are available locally?)

“Developing packaging that is lightweight, strong enough to protect our products in transit, avoids the need to cut down hardwood trees and can return to the ground to sustain new plant growth – those are the kinds of long-term, sustainable solutions we want to provide for our customers,” says Oliver Campbell, Dell’s senior manager of packaging worldwide. “We’re exploring the frontier of sustainable packaging here, and we’re actively working to integrate more innovative, agricultural materials into our packaging portfolio.”