HP Innovation Journal Special Edition: Sustainable Impact | Page 23

CLOSING THE LOOP WITH PLASTICS
TRANSFORMING PLASTIC BOTTLES INTO INK
CARTRIDGES AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES IN HAITI
MERCÈ BARCONS VILARDELL
Global Head and General Manager, HP Supplies Business
NATE HURST
Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer, HP
With limited access to clean water, Haitians rely heavily on
bottled water. Proper disposal methods aren’t in place, so
plastic bottles line the landfills, canals, and shoreline. More
than 300 Haitian children currently collect those bottles
from the largest landfill in Haiti, the Truitier landfill. This
hazardous work exposes the children and their families to
difficult working conditions. HP, in partnership with the
First Mile Coalition, wants to help
change that.
Fulfilling our commitment made in
September 2016, HP now purchases
recycled plastic collected in Haiti to
create Original HP ink cartridges.
Through October 2018, we sourced
more than 250 tonnes of plastic
(over 12 million plastic bottles) from
Haiti—plastic that might otherwise
have washed into the waterways and
oceans. This effort exemplifies HP’s
efforts to reinvent how products are
designed, manufactured, used, and
recovered.
People, including children, work
in landfills like Truitier to collect
recyclables as an important source
of income for their families. This
is a difficult and complex problem
that requires a serious, long-term
solution. Finding a scalable solution
in Truitier is one step to changing
the status quo and ensuring that the people who collect
plastics in Haiti have a voice, access to resources and
training, and the opportunity to advance.
Our joint initiative will improve the lives of Haitian children
who collect the recyclable materials by providing them with
educational opportunities, including scholarships, full access
to medical care, and health and safety trainings.
Closing the Loop with Plastics
We’re also opening a new market opportunity, generating
a steady revenue stream, and improving conditions for
adult workers as well. HP is working to help to create jobs
and bring dignity to the collectors of recyclables in Haiti.
Through 2018, we have created more than 600 income
opportunities for adults in the country.
For Haitians like Rosette Altidor, a
local collection center owner who
lost her husband during the 2010
earthquake, the recycling program
has created a business opportunity
that allows her to support her family.
“The work that [Thread and] HP
are doing helps me get my children
to school, and helps me pay for my
home,” said Rosette. “It motivates
me to motivate others to collect
plastic as well. Everyone can benefit
from cleanup work in Haiti.”
And while this is an exciting
initiative, sustainability has long
served as a guiding principle for
how we do business at HP—fueling
our innovation and growth. We’re
committed to full-circle innovation
that improves performance, reduces
waste, and powers a circular and low-
carbon economy.
Through 2017, HP has manufactured
more than 3.8 billion HP ink and toner cartridges using
more than 99,000 metric tons of recycled content, which
includes 4 billion post-consumer plastic bottles. By
making Haiti the starting point of our supply chain, we’re
reinventing boundaries of our sustainable legacy.
To learn more and help end child labor in the first mile of supply chains, visit
dowork.org/firstmile
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