Blogger Christian Flickinger recently brought to our attention a blog post about excess packaging. Many customers share their ideas on how we can enhance the environmental-friendliness of existing packaging while reducing it whenever possible, and we appreciate their interest and insights. That kind of feedback fuels our drive for continuous improvement.

Shipments can originate from multiple sources, such as Dell factories, software & peripheral partners or value-added resellers, so we're working to implement a single, comprehensive approach that includes:

• Standards for space-efficient packaging
• Regular reviews to confirm that the standards are being followed
• Additional training for employees involved in packing and shipping, and
• Consolidated shipping of equipment, software, documentation and other peripheral items whenever possible.

We hope to have this fully implemented in the U.S. by May, and globally shortly thereafter. Beyond that, we're looking to do more.

We continue to explore:

• Giving customers the option to exclude all manuals and CDs, or to receive one set for multiple systems
• Packaging alternatives, which could include both packaging materials and design

In FY2006, we saved more than 24,000 tons of packaging material through reduction and elimination of corrugated, plastic foam and wood materials. Our Multipack program for server customers (announced last year) can eliminate up to half of the packaging materials and waste resulting during a typical installation.