Internet News is running an article about the greening of HP. The piece draws attention to HP’s efforts to recycle approximately 140 million pounds of hardware and HP print cartridges globally, an increase of over 17 percent from the prior year. It also highlights the difficulty HP has historically had in claiming PR wins around this issue.
“If HP invented sushi they would have called it ‘cold, dead fish,’ ” said Amy Wohl, an analyst and founder of tech consultancy Wohl & Associates. “They don’t get PR as an art. It’s always been more of an engineering culture.”
Apparently, Sun Microsystems has no such difficulty taking credit for their environmental sensitivity, even when their efforts lack substance.
“I don’t want to name names, but yes, it does tick me off when, let’s say, a competitor puts out one product and calls themselves ‘green,’ said David Lear HP’s vice-president for corporate, social and environmental responsibility. “You dig into it and find out it’s not going to be available worldwide, it’s not lead free and it will ship in small quantities.”
