The Dell Latitude 10 tablet may look like any other tablet, but it has special features you might not even notice until you’re done with it years from now.
Along with the Latitude XPS 10 tablet and Latitude E7240 laptop, the Latitude 10 tablet was designed with recycling in mind, including clear labeling of parts for identification, minimal use of glues and adhesives, and convenient disassembly guides.
That made Dell Inc. the winner of the 2014 Design for Recycling Award, presented annually by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) in recognition of proactive steps made by manufacturers to create products that are designed to be easily recycled down the line.
“As Dell demonstrates, effective recycling begins at the drawing board,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI, in a press release. “There were many strong contenders for this year’s award, but Dell’s strong commitment to sustainability, both through its own practices and for those who use its products, rose above the crowd.”
When awarding the Design for Recycling honor, ISRI looks for a product to meet the following requirements:
- Contain the maximum amount of materials that are recyclable
- Be easily recycled through current or newly designed recycling processes and procedures
- Be cost-effective to recycle whereby the cost to recycle does not exceed the value of its recycled materials
- Be free of hazardous materials that are not recyclable or impede the recycling process
- Minimize the time and cost involved to recycle the product
- Reduce the use of raw materials by including recycled materials and/or components
- Have a net gain in the overall recyclability of the product while reducing the overall negative impact on the environment.
Dell’s use of recycled materials, including nearly 8 million pounds of recycled-content plastic in its desktops and monitors, sustainable bamboo and mushrooms for cushion material, and post-harvest wheat waste mixed with recycled-content corrugate for boxes, further adds to the company’s dedication to recycling from the very early stages of product creation.
“Not only do we think of our customers when we design our products, we actively consider the environment at every stage of the product lifecycle,” said Ed Boyd, vice president of Experience Design at Dell, in a press release. “This award validates the hard work and thoughtfulness we put into each and every product design, and we’re excited to continue to push these responsible design principles forward.”
Dell joins a long list of innovative companies in the 25-plus years ISRI has been giving out the award. Recent winners include Cascades Fine Papers Group, Wind Simplicity, Coca-Cola Co. and Hewlett Packard.