HP to put Eco Highlights label on products, guilt comes on the side

HP is doing its part to help you feel good -- or bad -- about your carbon footprint with its new Eco Highlights label. The sticker will list a product's enviro-friendly "ingredients", much like those FDA labels you see at the grocery store that tell you how much fat and sugar you're consuming. The program's launch products will include printers such as the Deskjet D2545 ink-jet printer, LaserJet P4015x, LaserJet P4515x and LaserJet P4515xm which are made mostly of recycled parts. Other Eco Highlights label attributes will include recycled cartridges, recyclable packaging, and auto-on/auto-off with deep-sleep modes. Finally, a new HP Carbon Footprint Calculator for Printing and HP LaserJet Power Calculator will most likely make you feel really bad about the printer you're currently using, send you into a shame spiral, and ultimately force you to buy an HP Eco Highlight printer.

[Via News.com]

[Josh @ May 22nd 2008 10:10AM]

i never throw away my ink cartridges
always refill them. Cheaper, better ink (sometimes), and you get that nice warm feeling, knowing that you've saved a little bit of the environment.

[tom @ May 22nd 2008 10:19AM]

+1

I was gonna say that. I am doing my part to the environment by refilling my toner.

1. Save money
2. Save paper packaging
3. Save plastic from cartridges/Toners

This is for you HP =P

[coffee @ May 22nd 2008 10:14AM]

oh, so close. I only buy 84% or more recyclable plastics. Nice try, HP.

[Chris @ May 22nd 2008 10:28AM]

Eco-minded or buying a HP printer that breaks 3 times a year ... hmmmm. Tough choice but I guess neither.

[AlphaTeam @ May 22nd 2008 11:31AM]

HP does not have eco-friendly consumables; they integrate a drum into their cartridges, the transfer and imaging kits are one piece.

My Xerox has all separate pieces, toner is toner, transfer kit, imaging kit, fuser. No wasting.

[NxP3 @ May 22nd 2008 12:01PM]

Eco my ass...how about removing the chip on toners and ink cartridge so we can refill them ourselves. They got some nerve saying that when they practically make disposable printers. Printer, 30 dollar, ink, 60 dollar. Yeah way to go HP. My brother works at HP...and I still hate HP.

[Magallanes @ May 22nd 2008 12:48PM]

Agreed, for example i must thrown my current printer because it's more expensive to repair it rather to buy a new one and not to say to return to HP..

[blythe @ May 22nd 2008 2:24PM]

Well, it also doesn't stem the tide of rampant consumerism that is the real issue. If you "feel bad" and throw out your old printer just to buy a new one, are you really helping the environment?

[SoloSalsa @ May 25th 2008 7:34PM]

Xerox is the only printer company I trust with "eco". http://www.office.xerox.com/solid-ink/enus.html