EPA Recognizes Dell Technologies for Reducing Electronic Products from Landfills

DALLAS –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced Dell Technologies of Round Rock, Texas, as a winner of the 2020 Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge Awards. The SMM Challenge encourages electronics manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers to send 100 percent of the used electronics they collect to third-party certified electronics refurbishers and recyclers.

“We are proud of the accomplishments of these companies as leaders in sustainable practices—diverting electronics from waste,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator David Gray. “Their effort to reduce waste improves our local community and is a win-win for the environment.”

Since 2012, EPA has been recognizing leading electronics manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers for their significant contributions in electronics sustainability as part of the SMM Electronics Challenge. This year the Agency is honoring three categories of winners with its Gold Tier Awards, Champion Awards, and a Special Award for participants who made significant contributions during the pandemic.

Dell received the EPA’s Gold Tier Award for exemplary electronics collection and recycling program. The company was also recognized for demonstrating environmental, social and economic outcomes that go above and beyond the requirements of the Electronics Challenge. They led the charge to improve sustainability of their products and incorporate recycled and renewable materials in their packaging. Lastly, Dell developed the Dell Latitude 7300 25th Anniversary laptop with sustainability features, such as using 25 percent discarded plastics and 75 percent high density polyethylene plastics in the packaging tray.

The use of electronic products has grown exponentially over the past two decades, changing the way people communicate and more recently, how they stay in touch during the pandemic. Reusing and recycling reduces environmental impacts, including those from climate change, throughout the life cycle of electronics, while also creating green jobs.

For more information on the 2020 SMM Electronics Challenge award winners: https://www.epa.gov/smm-electronics/sustainable-materials-management-smm-electronics-challenge-recognition-and-awards

For more information on EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management of electronics program: http://www.epa.gov/smm-electronics

For information on where consumers can donate or recycle electronics: http://www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling

For information about EPA’s National Recycling Goal: https://www.epa.gov/americarecycles/us-national-recycling-goal

More about EPA’s work in Texas: https://www.epa.gov/tx

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About EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central