JKR

Dell have been producing computers with a bamboo cladding for a little while. The design offers a distinctively warmer and more analogue feeling alternative to the category’s usual glossy plastics. But according to CBS News, the company is now replacing some of its packaging (such as the moulded cushions used to protect in transit) with the material as well. What’s the upside? As a fast growing grass, the bamboo offers a sustainable material which is kinder to the earth. It’s also a cheaper (although currently slower) manufacturing process which is mechanical rather than chemical. Downsides? Apparently covered – the raw material is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and is not grown with the aid of hazardous pesticides. The factory is in China, same as the bamboo (but it’s farmed far from the grazing grounds of the giant pandas). Most municipals currently don’t recycle bamboo, but the company is in the process of helping change this.

Any green initiative always seems to have a downside, and I guess there will be one somewhere here (for example, will the initiative be as green if it moves to a larger scale of operation?). But that said, the innovative approach with a close eye on detail, yields not just more sustainable packaging but also a more distinctive brand behaviour. This in turn relates to a signature Dell product, making this an impressive piece of joined up thinking. A candidate for sustainable initiative of the year?