Our sustainable packaging strategy focuses on elimination, innovation, and circulation, to enhance customer experience while driving progress toward a circular and low-carbon economy.


These principles are underpinned by HP’s General Specification for the Environment, which requires suppliers to restrict substances of concern in our packaging, and requires 100% of materials used in HP packaging to be recyclable1, except where approved by HP.


We also require that all HP packaging be separable using the following criteria to enable recyclability of packaging:

  • Packaging components weighing greater than 25 g shall be separable from other packaging components made of dissimilar materials without the use of tools once the product is removed
  • Use of multi-layered plastic packaging2 is not allowed in HP product packaging unless the packaging is integral to the functionality of the product and there exists no readily available alternatives
  • Suppliers should aim to reduce plastic packaging components whenever possible. HP has a strong preference for fiber-based alternatives due to their higher amounts of recycled content and higher recycling rates worldwide
  • Plastics shall be separable from each other based on their marked resin identification code. Exceptions include:
    • Plastic bags (or wrap) affixed with paper labels that meet either of the following criteria:

a. Combined weight of single bag (or wrap) and label is < 25 g

b. Surface area of label is < 50 cm2

  • Pallets or pallet assemblies
  • Tape, glue, or staples used to construct or close a container


Furthermore, we require our suppliers and licensees to follow the HP Sustainable Paper and Wood Policy for the paper, packaging, and wood incorporated into HP products that they provide.


To address packaging at end-of-life, we offer packaging take-back services, and regularly update the Recycle your HP packaging guide to help consumers avoid sending packaging materials to landfill.


To learn more about the HP General Specification for the Environment program, see http://www.hp.com/go/sustainability_gse.


To see a copy of the HP Sustainable Paper and Wood Policy, please go to https://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/getpdf.aspx/c05352448%20.pdf.


The Recycle your HP packaging guide is available at http://sustainability.ext.hp.com/en/support/solutions/articles/35000088224-recycle-your-hp-packaging.


1 As defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

2 Multi-layered plastic packaging is defined as any material used for packaging and having at least one layer of plastic as the main ingredient in combination with one or more layers of materials such as paper, paper board, other plastic polymers, metalized layers, or aluminum foil, either in the form of a laminate or co-extruded structure.