Wal-Mart issued a challenge to manufacturers: reduce the packaging your product comes in. And Hewlett-Packard, HP to you and me, definitely rose to the occasion. On HP’s new dv6929 computer, the company has reduced the packaging an astounding 97 percent compared to conventional laptops. That’s more than a little impressive. Treehugger.com gives us some details:

Gone are the styrofoam inserts and enveloping cardboard. What’s left are couple of plastic bags as the throwaway items, and the computer itself nestled in a reusable bag from 100 percent recycled fabric. Perhaps even cooler is the fact that HP can put three of the computers in one shipping box, which translates to a lot fewer pallets and fewer truck miles.

So not only is the computer itself in environmentally-friendly packaging, the packaging of the packaging is environmentally friendly. The computers cost almost $800, but if you buy one at a Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club, you can bring in your old computer and they’ll recycle it for free. Take that, eight dollar recycling fee some other companies (who shall remain nameless) charge you when you buy a new computer.

This amazing reduction in waste won HP the Home Entertainment Design Challenge, which judged products in three categories: “design, product innovation that reduces environmental impact, and packaging design that reduces waste and reduces the use of toxic materials [planetark.com].” This falls in line with the store’s long-term goal to run on only renewable energy and create zero waste. A lofty goal, to be sure, but hopefully one that can be achieved. takepart and visit reducepackaging.com so you can join HP and Wal-Mart in Doing Good Things.