Dive Brief:

• Dell’s corporate social responsibility manager is working hard to combine the sustainability strategies of both Dell and EMC following the closure of Dell’s $60 billion merger with EMC in September.

• Trisa Thompson wants to ensure they new organization still meets a number of 2020 sustainability goals, such as ensuring 100% of the company’s packaging is made using sustainable materials, according to GreenBiz.

• EMC has 67,000 employees and 16 sustainability targets while Dell has more than 100,000 employees and 21 sustainability goals. "We can have a much bigger impact helping our customers use our technology to make a difference, and that is by far more powerful than anything we can do ourselves," Thompson told GreenBiz.

Dive Insight:

Sustainability is a growing priority for tech companies, but combining the strategies of the two tech giants is challenging. Thompson said the cloud computing technology EMC brings to the table could help Dell steer more customers toward cleaner cloud technologies.

Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Facebook have been working on their own sustainability and waste reduction efforts, along with many other major brand names.

The push by the service and technology providers is a recognition of the trickle down effect waste has in the supply chain. If providers don't push for greener products and packaging, waste will be transmitted to customers, creating a pervasive cycle, which would have negative environmental impacts.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise, for example, is working to increase the energy performance in its products by 30 times over its 2015 baseline by 2025. Understanding its overall carbon footprint gets passed to customers, the company is trying to optimize its products' energy performance.