If Only We Could Compost Dell Computers

In Dell’s ongoing efforts to green their business, the company just announced that their new bamboo cushion packaging is certifiably compostable, having received the American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM D6400 certification. Dell started shipping netbooks in the packaging in November 2009; they now use it for some of their Inspiron line of laptops as well.

Just think: Now Dell computers might actually outlast their packaging.

But how green is this material?

Unfortunately, ever since the FTC alerted us to the false claims around bamboo “fabric” – actually rayon – I’m immediately cautious about green bamboo claims. Yes, bamboo the plant is extraordinarily renewable. But the processes to turn it into another material? Not always.

Jaymi Heimbuch at Treehugger.com has already gone on the record questioning the green credentials of the bamboo packaging material: Is sourcing virgin bamboo shipped all the way from China is actually any better than recycled cardboard or other materials?

That might be splitting hairs, but I was worried about other parts of the bamboo packaging lifecycle: manufacturing and composting. The ASTM D6400 certification “covers plastics and products made from plastics that are designed to be composted in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities.” (Italics mine.)

So what exactly is this bamboo packaging product? Dell’s supplier, Unisource Global Solutions, offers a molded bamboo, a bamboo-based composite, and a bamboo-based bio-polymer. The latter two materials can include plastic. So what process is used to create this packaging from the bamboo? Are any virgin PVC or other plastic products used in its fabrication? If so, what percentage? And are nasty chemicals used to break down the bamboo?

On the composting end of the equation, will this stuff break down in your home compost pile, or only in “industrial aerobic composting facilities”?

Here’s the word I got from Dell spokesperson Michelle Mosemeyer:

“Our packaging is made from 100% mechanically pulped, molded bamboo. It does not contain plastic of any kind. This certification confirms the packaging will compost and biodegrade at a rate comparable to known compostable materials when added to a hot, active compost pile – even at home.”

So far, it sounds like Dell has chosen their bamboo packaging material well, avoiding both nasty chemicals and plastics, as well as achieving easy composting.

Is anybody ordering a Dell netbook or laptop anytime soon? Send us your packaging so we can check it out.