Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 08 | Page 50

EDITOR’S QUESTION Making life better for everyone, everywhere While many companies utilise recycled materials in their products, few programmes help bring systemic change to communities at the start of their supply chains, and that’s what makes us unique says Mathew Thomas, Vice President and Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and East Africa, HP. A s a multinational IT company, outline HP’s latest global corporate sustainability initiatives. H P Sustainability is dedicated to making life better for everyone, everywhere, by reducing our environmental impact. We are reinventing product design, business models and industry supply chains to create a more efficient, low-carbon circular economy. Our commitment is based on our broader company values and is core to our business. We firmly believe that sustainable supply chains have to start from the bottom up and so we decided to move the start of our ink cartridge supply chain to Haiti. Our work there not only results in a sustainable product, but in sustainable solutions that vastly improve the quality of life for landfill workers. While many companies utilise recycled materials in their products, few programmes help bring systemic change to communities at the start of their supply chains, and that’s what makes us unique. Our efforts in Haiti not only help the environment, we’re making a real social impact as well. Furthermore, our ink cartridges made from plastic recycled in Haiti are not 50 part of a limited edition or special line of product; they are integrated into our regular product line. Our customers can be confident that no matter what ink cartridge they choose to buy, it will be made with recycled parts. Original HP cartridges have been engineered to use recycled plastic and still meet HP’s demanding standards for quality and reliability. HP has also announced new supply chain goals that include social aspects and, while the goals are new, the commitment is not. For more than a decade, we have demonstrated industry leadership by developing innovative ways to strengthen social and environmental conditions in our supplier factories. We’ve seen increasing stakeholder interest in supply chain issues, which makes HP’s focus on external transparency more important than ever. Customers care about where and how their products are made, and want to understand how we manage and address supply chain issues. And finally, HP has set a new education goal because education is a core market for HP technology, and is essential to the sustainability of our business. It powers the next generation of inventors, leaders and future employees. But more than that, quality education is vital to the sustainability of our world. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals list includes quality education and lifelong learning as one of the key drivers in helping achieve many of the 17 Global Goals. Our new education goal focuses on enabling better learning outcomes for 100 million people by 2025. To achieve this, we are taking a multi-pronged approach that will empower educators and engage students of all levels, abilities, circumstance and location. More information can be found at www.hp.com/sustainability  Mathew Thomas, Vice President and Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and East Africa, HP. ssue 08 NTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS