HP Expands European Print Cartridge Return and Recycling Program.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

FRANKFURT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 4, 2003

Industry's First Large-scale Return and Recycling Program for

HP Inkjet Print Cartridges from European Consumers

to Begin Later This Year

HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced expansion of its current Planet Partners return and recycling program to include take-back of HP inkjet cartridges from consumer customers in several European countries. The first countries scheduled to implement individual HP inkjet cartridge return and recycling for consumers are Germany, Austria and Switzerland by the end of 2003, with the United Kingdom, Ireland and others to follow in 2004. Additional details on the return schemes and participation guidelines will be provided during the program rollout.

This new consumer-oriented offering expands on HP's existing European return and recycling programs for commercial customers of its inkjet print cartridges and for both commercial and consumer customers of HP LaserJet cartridges. As a result of the new inkjet recycling initiative, HP estimates that in Germany home offices and households will return approximately 4 million HP inkjet print cartridges and in the United Kingdom around 2.5 million cartridges will be returned for recycling by the year 2005.

Pradeep Jotwani, senior vice president of worldwide supplies, HP Imaging and Printing Group, said in a recent Frankfurt interview, "With this program, HP brings its award-winning Planet Partners recycling program to major metropolitan regions throughout the world. HP is committed to ensuring that the footprint of its imaging and printing products is minimized. By providing a free and convenient recycling alternative to HP customers, we serve the environment."

All HP inkjet print cartridges returned from European countries will be recycled at a facility located in the region. For nearly a year, this facility has been recycling HP inkjet print cartridges received through the current bulk return program from HP's commercial customers. In the recycling process, returned original HP print cartridges are cleaned and taken apart. Plastic and metal materials are recovered and used in the supply stream for new products.

As a recognized leader in environmental stewardship, HP began providing end-of-life solutions for its original print cartridges in 1991, starting with a LaserJet print cartridge return and recycling program for both business and individual consumer customers. Since its inception, this program has recycled and recovered almost 68 million kilograms of HP LaserJet print cartridge materials worldwide. Coupled with these efforts, HP's Design for the Environment program integrates efforts in reducing the ecological footprint of a product in all stages of its design, manufacture, use and end of life.

"HP's commitment to the environment goes far beyond recycling products and minimizing landfill," said Kim Holm, vice president and general manager, HP Supplies EMEA. "Our approach is to carefully align all aspects of a product's lifecycle -- from development and design, through manufacturing and distribution, to customer use and finally return and recycling."

HP has been recognized for its ecologically sound product design, manufacturing and recycling processes with various certifications and awards among them the Ecohitech Product Award, the German environmental label Blue Angel, the Energy Star and the Green Cross Millennium Award.

For more information, visit the HP environmental sustainability Web site at www.hp.com/recycle.

About HP

HP delivers vital technology for business and life. The company's solutions span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium business. For the last four quarters, HP revenue totaled $70.4 billion. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that the market for the sale of certain products and services may not develop as expected; that development and performance of these products and services may not proceed as planned; and other risks that are described from time to time in HP's Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to HP's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended January 31, 2003, and subsequently filed reports. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, HP's results could differ materially from HP's expectations in these statements. HP assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.