Microsoft's Sustainability Emerges from the Ground Up

At Microsoft, big ideas don't always come from the top. Microsoft employees feel uniquely empowered to pursue initiatives that will benefit the company in the long run.

So it is with a number of initiatives that Microsoft is pursuing to be more sustainable in their packaging and to be a more responsible company overall. Microsoft has recently eliminated PVC from its packaging completely as of December 31st, 2005. "It's all part of a greater effort to being a global citizen," says Joan Krajewski, Microsoft's environmental attorney.

Other initiatives are a combination of package design strategies combined with common sense. To reduce packaging costs to both Microsoft and its customers, the company has always encouraged software downloads in favor of CD mailings. Today, computer users install the majority of Microsoft software upgrades this way, and software manuals are almost always delivered digitally.

There's no denying that plastics help showcase Microsoft hardware products on the shelf, and recyclable PET still does that well. However, reducing the size of these packages is also a priority at the company. The recent launch of the Xbox game system and its many peripherals illustrate a "less is more" philosophy. The packaging "fits" the shape of each peripheral very closely, thereby reducing overall packaging size and packaging materials.

Microsoft still does a good deal of CD mailing for subscription services that support the vast network of programming professionals in the field. These discs come in multi-disc booklets that are as space efficient as possible. Microsoft even designed and produced its own universal, durable, reusable CD slip-sleeve that is made of a single material—non-woven polypropylene—and has automated filling capability.

Looking at retail strategies

Microsoft has a leading position in the overall trend of reducing size in its software packaging, and is trying to eliminate clamshells and excessive secondary packaging of all kinds. Knowing that the landscape of software delivery is rapidly changing, the company's package designers sought input from their major retail distributors to discover new packaging strategies. What they discovered was that most retailers protected valuable Microsoft software by locking it behind glass or by having empty boxes on the shelves.

If that is the case, thought the designers, why produce pilfer-resistant clamshells at all? Microsoft is now working with major retail channel partners to forge agreements so that the packaging can be minimal, all parties can save money, and the consumer leaves the store with a good experience. This initiative has to be region-specific, however, as many smaller markets have smaller stores with different policies.

Lessons to be learned

Microsoft package designers are challenged with trying to comply with the most wide-ranging environmental concerns, as their package designs are produced across the globe. "A lot of countries are developing their own standards," says Jay Watts, senior manager of the package engineering management team at Microsoft.

Designing packages that will be produced at compliant facilities is one concern, but the full life cycle of the package also has to be considered. "With the internet economy, you don't know where the package is going," Krajewski remarks. On the scale of Microsoft product and package production, sustainable advantages may come from unexpected places, such as power savings or reduced liability on the back end.

Nevertheless, Microsoft does not pursue these initiatives to promote "responsibility" as a Microsoft value to its customers. They do it because these programs have intrinsic value to the global community, build long-term value in the company, and maximize value to shareholders.

Scott Ballantine, packaging project manager at Microsoft, stresses that the long-term benefits of a new idea may not be evident right away. New materials and new ideas are never discarded out of hand. "Don't get caught up on cost right away," Ballantine advises. "Be creative with it. Keep in mind—someone's going to do something with that package."

Using common sense in packaging development, Microsoft talks with customers and suppliers to find win-win strategies. "We want to be good corporate citizens," says Ballantine."

ADM and Metabolix Announce First Commercial Plant for Natural Plastics

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and Metabolix have announced that ADM will build the first commercial plant to produce a new generation of high-performance natural plastics that are eco-friendly and based on sustainable, renewable resources. The plant, whose North American location is still unannounced, will have an initial annual capacity of 50,000 tons per year and serve the joint venture being established by the companies.

The plant will produce PHA natural plastics that have a wide variety of applications in products currently made from petrochemical plastics, including coated paper, film, and molded goods. These PHA materials (short for "polyhydroxyalkanoates") are produced using a fully biological fermentation process that converts agricultural raw materials such as corn sugar into a versatile range of natural durable plastic-like materials.

"The plastics created from PHA polymers are natural, biodegradable, and renewable, and we are pleased to begin their commercial production," says G. Allen Andreas, ADM chairman, chief executive, and president. PHA natural plastics are a broad and versatile family of polymers that range in properties from rigid to elastic, and they cay be converted into molded and thermoformed goods, extruded coatings and film, blown film, fibers, adhesives, and many other products. They are resistant to greases, oils, and hot liquids, yet they biodegrade in soil, marine environments, and even anaerobic conditions.

In 2004, ADM and Metabolix announced a strategic alliance to commercialize the Metabolix proprietary PHA technology, which is protected by over 130 issued and pending U.S. patents. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the PHA family of polymers has functional properties sufficient to replace a significant portion of the 300 billion pounds of petroleum-based plastics used worldwide each year. Visit www.metabolix.com and www.admworld.com