Many corporations pretend to be good corporate environmental citizens because it serves their bottom line but Hewlett-Packard has really stepped up to the plate.  Battery recycling and reducing gold in chips are among the technollogies HP has given to a shared patent scheme.  Hewlett-Packard is waiving royalties on technology for a battery recycling point, and instead giving the patent to an initiative which aims to copy the benefits of open source development, by making patents for sustainable technology available without royalties.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) announced late last week that HP will join the likes of IBM, Nokia and Sony in making some of its patented technology freely available under the Eco-Patent Commons scheme. The scheme, launched in January 2008, is a joint effort between the WBCSD and IBM, Nokia, Pitney Bowes and Sony.

“The premise of the Commons is that the free sharing of these patents leads to new collaborations and innovation aimed at helping others become more eco-efficient and/or operate in a more sustainable way,” said Björn Stigson, president of the WBCSD.
Battery Recycling

HP is contributing three patents to the scheme that has attracted over a hundred such donations so far. The tech giant’s contributions are the patent for a battery recycling station which allows consumers to swap used batteries for new ones or credit.

The company has also submitted the patents for a process which it claims could help eliminate the need for anti-oxidant metal coatings during certain stages of microchip and circuit board assembly.  Hats off to HP for their donation.