April 19, 2006—The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) has named HP the recipient of its first Design for Recycling award. The award was created to recognize a company or individual that has made progress in achieving the goal of Design for Recycling, a voluntary program that encourages manufacturers to consider end-of-life recyclability in the earliest stages of product design.
ISRI has advocated Design for Recycling for more than two decades. Its predecessor organization, the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, approved the program in the early 1980s with the expectation that products designed with recycling in mind could be recycled more safely and efficiently, eliminating hazardous and nonrecyclable materials to the extent possible. The concept was also intended to eliminate impediments to recycling and to increase the recyclable yield of products at the end of their useful lives.
In announcing the selection of HP for the award, ISRI President Robin Wiener said, “We chose HP because of its documented efforts to reduce the use of hazardous substances, to simplify component design, and to build computers and printing products for easy disassembly and recycling.”
HP has worked for many years to design products that are easier to recycle. The firm operates several recycling facilities, which allows it to determine the most effective design features to facilitate product recycling. HP has developed standards that integrate clear design guidelines and checklists into every product’s design process to assess and improve recyclability. For more on HP, visit the company’s Web site.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the “Voice of the Recycling Industry.” With 21 chapters nationwide and headquarters in Washington, D.C., ISRI represents over 1,200 companies that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics, and textiles. For more information, visit the Web site.
