Full circle: life cycle management procedures for printer cartridges have been put into practice at HP

Recycling Today, March, 2005 by Jay Celorie

In applying PLM, HP also linked its marketing efforts to its environmental goals by prominently promoting the Planet Partners program and educating customers on how to return their used print cartridges. Recognizing that customers want environmentally responsible disposal of products, HP packages pre-paid envelopes with many new inkjet cartridges to return empty cartridges for recycling. The company offers a similar take-back program for its HP LaserJet cartridges.

Closely linking product design and marketing efforts with end-of-life processes may seem like an obvious idea in retrospect, but PLM provided the necessary foundation to cement those associations.

A FINAL WORD. Because its effects are so far-reaching, PLM must be embraced and practiced by all levels of an organization, from the management suite to the assembly line. Adopting a PLM approach can help companies practice more proactive environmental stewardship by amplifying the collective benefits of their efforts across every phase of their products, helping to improve their bottom line as well as the welfare of the customers and communities they serve.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

Making improvements to benefit the environment can also benefit the bottom line. To go forward, product life cycle management (PLM) activities must be aligned with a compelling business case.

For instance, a product's environmental improvements can help lower material acquisition and disposal costs, generate higher product quality and yield while cutting waste associated with processing and shipping.

PLM often prompts a broader approach to quantifying and analyzing process and product changes. In building the business case for improving a product's environmental profile, companies should look beyond traditional areas of focus and consider the full scope and impact of potential changes, including those that anticipate customer needs, new standards, developing technologies and emerging markets.

It is also essential to identify and capture the often unknown savings or financial benefits of improvements, such as improved operations, increased sales and stronger customer preference and brand loyalty. One should also consider the costs in potential fines or lost business if a product does not comply with regulations or standards.

The author is worldwide manager of Inkjet Cartridge Recycling for HP, Palo Alto, Calif.