Dell has met its carbon neutral goal ahead of schedule, achieving a major milestone in its commitment to be the 'greenest' technology company on the planet the company announced last week.
"We're driving 'green' into every aspect of our global business," said Dell CEO Michael Dell. "This includes setting new standards for energy efficiency and green power, delivering environmental and cost savings for customers and aligning key growth priorities with our focus on preserving our shared Earth. Every company can join Dell and the ReGeneration in this long-term commitment."
Dell met its goal early by implementing an aggressive global energy-efficiency campaign and increasing purchases of green power, verified emission reductions and renewable energy certificates. Since 2004, the company's annual investment in green electricity from utility providers, including wind, solar and methane-gas capture, has grown from 12 million kWh to 116 million kWh, an increase of nearly 870%. Earlier this year, the company announced that its global headquarters campus is powered by 100% green energy.
Dell also announced that it is making additional investments in wind power in the U.S., China and India. Combined with green electricity purchases from utility providers, this equates to 645 million kWh and the avoidance of more than 400,000 metric tons of CO2.
The company is already saving more than $3 million annually and avoiding nearly 20,000 tons of CO2 through facilities improvements and a global power-management initiative.
The company is also helping customers and suppliers achieve their own environmental goals. In June 2007, the company announced that it would require primary suppliers to report CO2 emissions data during quarterly business reviews. Dell was the first IT company to join the Carbon Disclosure Project's Supply Chain Leadership Coalition to help suppliers with emissions reporting.
Earlier this year, Dell became the first major computer manufacturer to list an 80 PLUS Gold power supply for servers. Dell's new 80 PLUS Gold power supply meets July 2009 Climate Savers targets for servers more than a year ahead of schedule, which require 92% minimum efficiency for the power supply unit at 50 percent of rated output. The company was also the first major computer manufacturer to list an 80 PLUS Silver-certified power supply for desktops. Last month, Dell launched its first "hybrid" PC.
Based on worldwide unit sales beginning in 2005 with power-management features enabled, Dell estimates that OptiPlex desktop systems alone have helped customers save more than $2.7 billion and avoid approximately 26 million tons of CO2.
For more information on Dell's energy and environmental initiatives, visit www.dell.com/earth. To join with the company and thousands of others in lending a voice and saving the planet, visit www.regeneration.org.
