As part of the April 22 Earth Day, which is celebrated worldwide to draw attention to issues such as climate change and environmental pollution, Ümit Yeşiltaş, Customer Solutions Group Turkey Sales Manager of Dell Technologies, spoke about the importance of product design in accelerating the circular economy, achieving net zero targets and minimizing the impact on the environment.

There is a huge waste problem worldwide. Products produced with new materials and the linear design model of throwing these products away after they have been used for their intended purpose are almost as old as the history of mankind. Despite huge efforts to promote recycling, our world is still affected by the negative effects of this model on landfills, oceans and other waterways. As a company that develops and supplies technology products for millions of people and businesses around the world, we take great responsibility and do very important work in the field of circular design.

In line with the goals we have set, since 2007, when we began manufacturing our OptiPlex solution using recycled materials, we have recycled 1.1 billion kilograms of used electronic components. We aim to have one product recycled for every Dell product sold by 2030, with 100 percent of product packaging and more than half of the content made from recycled or renewable materials. To achieve this ambitious goal, we draw on our experience of more than 25 years and redesign our approaches and processes.

For many years we have been developing products that not only make life easier for people and companies, but also develop technologies that address complex societal challenges. With growing concerns about the climate crisis, e-waste and limited resources, we are conducting several studies to push the boundaries of reuse and significantly reduce the environmental footprint of our products.

Product design plays a major role in contributing to the circular economy and achieving our net-zero targets. In this direction, we are working to improve the environmental impact of our products from design to end-of-life. As part of this process, we try to estimate the environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle, including materials used, production, distribution, use and end-of-life.

We use the PAIA (Product Attribute to Impact Algorithm) method developed by the MIT Materials System Laboratory to calculate the environmental footprint of our products. This method takes into account the main product characteristics that can be associated with activities to calculate the carbon footprint of products. For example, we estimate the carbon footprint of our Dell Latitude 5420* at 364 kgCO2e +/- 80 kgCO2e. We perform several calculations to help our customers and other stakeholders put into context their environmental footprint of their product.

To give an example in the case of the Latitude 5420: 1 Latitude 5420 has a footprint equivalent to driving a passenger car for about 1,435 km. 10 Latitude 5420s have a footprint equivalent to approximately 17.4 hectares of forest absorbed in one year. We enable users to create context by providing equivalents such as 100 Latitude 5420s that are equivalent to the annual average carbon footprint of approximately 7 people. This way we show them the situation clearly.

With all these efforts, we inspire and lead the transformation in the technology sector. We encourage industry stakeholders to review existing product designs and for a circular economy. We will continue to develop solutions that further strengthen our leadership position, reduce waste, extend the life of technology and have a lasting positive impact on the environment.

Source: (BHA) – Beyaz News Agency