Linksys keen to get green

Cisco subsidiary, Linksys, has launched a green initiative targeting three key areas of its business - product, packaging and corporate responsibility.

New Linksys packaging will be smaller and printed with eco-friendly inks, such as vegetable and soy ink, while internal packaging has been transitioned to recyclable and bi-degradable materials. The vendor claims the new packaging provides a 40 per cent reduction in waste materials compared to previous methods.

Thirty of Linksys' products have also been Energy Star certified and the vendor has received Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) compliance on these products, meeting the energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Energy and Australian state regulations.

Internally, the vendor is also taking steps to reduce staff travel by promoting telepresence conferencing and teleworking. Linksys regional director, Graeme Reardon, said Linksys will extend its green message to channel partners and is discussing ways in which they make hardware recycling a better experience for customers.

Reardon said it was important to work with channel partners on the hardware recycle supply chain, and the promotion of hardware recycling. According to internal research, only 40 per cent of customers would go out of their way to recycle hardware.

"The onus should not be on distributors, who work on small margins and can't afford to take on that kind of task without assistance from vendors," he said.

Linksys has been working on its green initiatives for a number of years, and will continue to look to ways to limit waste, Reardon said.

The vendor expects to achieve 100 per cent recyclable products and packaging within the next two or three years.

"We're not green yet, but we're trying to be greener," Reardon said.