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Protective product packaging

IBM developed its Packaging Guidelines back in 1990 and they are updated periodically. The Guidelines called for the banning of ozone-depleting chemicals and heavy metals from IBM's packaging and the elimination of polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated biphenyl oxides from all its packaging, all of which were accomplished a number of years ago. The Guidelines also provide direction on minimizing toxic elements in packaging materials, identifying methods, process and designs to reduce packaging volume, and promoting the use of packaging materials that are reusable, recyclable and/or contain recycled content.

For specific requirements and details, see environmental packaging requirements.

The key elements of IBM's Packaging Guidelines have been embedded into various Engineering Specifications, which extends their reach beyond IBM to include its supply chain and other business partners. In addition to the avoidance of the hazardous chemicals listed above, IBM has gone well beyond the legal requirements in packaging. The following are some examples of the company's accomplishments:

Moreover, IBM has freely shared its environmental packaging specifications with anyone, including competitors.