Linksys Reduces Packaging, Ups Recycled Content, and Gets Energy Star Certified

Linksys Goes Green

This year Linksys launched a green campaign by introducing their latest line of routers in the greenest way possible. They’re reducing package size and inserts, printing more information directly onto packaging, and now paper inserts are printed with vegetable or soy-based inks on post-consumer recycled paper. Some packaging materials are also made of post-consumer recycled waste. All packaging is at least 80% recycled content. The safe ink and recycled materials means their packaging is completely biodegradable. They’re also eliminating plastic bags for instruction booklets, inserts and other items inside a box, as much as possible. The new packaging cuts waste by 40% compared to their old packaging. According to their press release from August 26, 2008, the waste reduction will be comparable to taking 3,000 cars off the road.

Power adapters are now Energy Star Certified. The new N-series routers and gateways are sold in the new, green packaging with power adapters that use almost half as much power as Linksys’ old power adapters. The N-series routers are significantly fast than G and B-series routers and most have a stronger signal for wider range of connectivity. They’re still accompanied by Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA), so they’ll be just as simple to set up as previous series’. Over 30 of Linksys products have been Energy Star Certified. They now meet strict EPA and US DoE guidelines for power consumption. The certified products will have an Energy Star Certified logo on the box.

Linksys N-series routers are available at Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, and many online retailers. The new packaging is allegedly going to be used for WRT45GS home network routers. That model is available for under $50 from Wal-Mart and is one of the most popular models of Linksys routers for home users.

To see Linksys’ Green page and ad, go here. For even more information, check out this article at Green IT news.