Bamboo cushion for Dell hardware is certified compostable
- Filed in:
- Protective packaging,
- Compost & Biodegrade,
- Non-food
Dell receives ASTM D6400 certification for its bamboo netbook and laptop cushion packaging, ensuring compostability and biodegradability.
Adding to its attributes as an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional packaging materials, bamboo packaging for Dell’s netbook and laptop products has been certified “compostable.” The packaging is made from mechanically pulped bamboo from a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified bamboo forest in China and was introduced last November.
The packaging has received ASTM D6400 certification, which confirms that it will compost and biodegrade at a rate comparable to known compostable materials when added to a hot, active compost pile. The certification also assures that the compost resulting from the packaging’s degradation process is of good quality and can sustain plant growth.
“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.”
Dell began using bamboo cushions to package its Mini 10 and Mini 10v netbooks in November 2009 and recently extended its use of the packaging to include a number of Dell Inspiron laptops.
Benefits of bamboo
Among the reasons Dell cites for its choice of bamboo are the following:
• 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 in. per day and reaches full harvesting maturity in three to seven years, significantly faster than hardwoods.
• It’s strong. 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.
Ensuring sustainability
Dell works with bamboo packaging supplier Unisource Global Solutions (UGS) to ensure all processes associated with the bamboo’s production meet the highest standards. The company sources its raw bamboo from a forest that follows FSC principles and criteria. The bamboo forest is located in China’s Jiangxi Province, far away from pandas’ known habitats. Dell worked with UGS to secure FSC certification for the bamboo’s full chain of custody, from the forest to the manufacturing facilities.
Dell, Georgia Pacific, UGS, and Environmental Packaging Intl. are also in the process of certifying the packaging for recycling.
Dell’s three C’s of smarter packaging
In December 2008, Dell announced a plan that it says will revolutionize computer packaging. By 2012, Dell aims to reduce packaging volume by 10%; increase the amount of recycled content in packaging by 40%; and increase the amount of materials in packaging that’s curbside-recyclable to 75%.
To achieve these goals, the company is implementing a strategy based on the three C’s:
• Cube: How big is the box? Could it be smaller?
• Content: What is the packaging made of? Could it be made of something better?
• Curb: Is it easily recycled?
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ASTM D6400 is a plastics specification. How could Dell certify bamboo as a plastic?
I do not think Dell has done its homework on availability of composts that would be able to handle this product.A product that needs higher heat to break down requires commercial and municipal composting. (ASTM 6400) The last time I counted them, there were around 100 in the entire US. So what we have is just another product ending up in the landfill where it will remain hundreds of years. There is no curbside pickup of this product. It is not recyclable with mainstream plastics. They should have gone with a landfill biodegradable plastic until the day there are more commercial composts, which I believe will happpen in 20 years.
I do not think Dell has done its homework on availability of composts that would be able to handle this product.A product that needs higher heat to break down requires commercial and municipal composting. (ASTM 6400) The last time I counted them, there were around 100 in the entire US. So what we have is just another product ending up in the landfill where it will remain hundreds of years. There is no curbside pickup of this product. It is not recyclable with mainstream plastics. They should have gone with a landfill biodegradable plastic until the day there are more commercial composts, which I believe will happpen in 20 years.
I think that a company moving in this direction is a good thing. So I pulled up the ASTM site and found the below information word for word. As you stated the standard is based on plastics however the test requirement to be certified are the test requirements. It's not like they didn't have to meet them because it is not plastic! I also believe they have expanded the standard to cover other materials.
"The purpose of this specification is to establish standards for identifying products and materials that will compost satisfactorily in commercial and municipal composting facilities.
1.3 The properties in this specification are those required to determine if plastics and products made from plastics will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials. Further, the properties in the specification are required to assure that the degradation of these materials will not diminish the value or utility of the compost resulting from the composting process."
I don't know where you got the other information because none of your information matches up.
I have found information that states that bamboo is biodegradable and compostable and it gets recycled with other paper products. That has to be certified before they can make that statement per ASTM6400.
In order to be ASTM 6400 certified the product must also degrade more than 90% in 120 days.
As for landfills, no plastic or any other product degrades fast in a landfill. It's a landfill, no air, no sun.
please delete
Certification is a great achievement, yet I sometimes wonder how long it will be before we build new computer technology and entertainment systems that are also more friendly when put to waste?
Stan
phlebotomist salary
In a lot of ways, "traditional" packaging now takes a back seat to what has long been coined "alternative" packaging. From structural foam to biodegradable waste and as this article shows, bamboo, packaging isn't just cardboard and packing peanuts anymore.
Though this article focuses on the waste reduction aspect of switching to bamboo, it would be interesting to know the financial implications of doing so. Less waste should equal less cost, which hopefully can be passed on to the consumer in the form of lower prices or better quality products. If anyone has a link to this info, I'd be interested in perusing it.
Lastly, while not privy to the process Dell went through to obtain certification regarding the pulped bamboo's ability to compost in the right conditions, it seems that such a distinction is a good sign. While certification is a positive development, there is nothing wrong with commentors questioning what this designation actually entails. If consumers want to demand that manufacturing and packaging meet certain expectations, being involved in the process through study, research, and checks and balances will go a long way.
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