HP Innovation Journal Issue 14: Spring 2020 | Page 53

HP ink cartridges sent in by customers
all over North America are sorted by
type, stripped of non-plastic materials,
and then converted into raw plastic for
use in new HP products.
It is an efficient system, but a scarcity of raw material
and a lack of recycling infrastructure are major obstacles
in the way of HP’s goal to increase the recycled content
of products, Jackowski says. As HP and Sims work
to increase supplies, they are also trying to increase
awareness about the importance of recycling, an effort
that includes the La Vergne facility. Shaun Burton, a
machine operator at the facility who is also a graphic
designer, has been fascinated to learn how ink cartridges
are made and how the recycling process works. “I
care about the earth, and it only makes sense to try to
take care of where we are,” he says. “Having a job that
supports me and at the same time puts recycling at the
center and helps the earth—that’s a good feeling.”
INNOVATING TO CLOSE THE LOOP
To achieve its ambitious recycling goals, HP and Sims have
turned to creative thinking and technological innovations.
It’s fairly simple to melt cartridges and printers into
lower-quality material that can be used to make flowerpots,
park benches, and other non-tech products. But HP has
spent more than a decade developing an expanded recycling
program, a disassembly strategy, and other innovations for
turning used plastic into new high-quality plastic that can
meet HP’s demanding standards for printing products.
Developing the recipe for HP’s first recycled plastics took
five years, Zimmer says. Based on that experience, HP was
able to develop its second-generation recycled cartridges
with just three years of work. The recipe for recycled
printers like the HP Tango Terra came together in one
year. The printer, which HP describes as “the world’s most
sustainable home printing system,” is the company’s first
to be certified as Carbon Neutral. It comes in plastic-free
packaging, with instructions printed on the box instead of
on extra paper. When customers purchase the HP Tango
Terra, they also receive a pack of HP’s deforestation-free
paper, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
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