Michael Dell announced that the company he leads plans to make its operations carbon neutral by the end of 2008. "Never before in the history of business have we seen such a critical need to build a worldwide community dedicated to improving the environment," Dell said in Washington. "By the end of 2008, we will be the first major computer company to become carbon neutral," Michael Dell promised.

However, the plan does not account for reducing the carbon footprint of its hardware suppliers. Michael Dell also said the company will watch its suppliers to determine if they emit excessive greenhouse gases, which could attract penalties. It's unclear what these penalties will consist of or if they will ever be applied.

The PC manufacturer's efforts will focus mostly on power consumption at Dell-owned and leased buildings around the world. Allegedly, employees' computers will be turned off at night and during long periods of inactivity, according to Dane Parker, Dell's director of global environmental health and safety programs. Parker said that the changes will reduce the company's carbon footprint by 8,500 tons, which in fact amounts to just around 2 percent of Dell's annual CO₂ emissions. Dell's 2007 Sustainability Report found that the company was responsible for emitting 385,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in fiscal year 2007.

For now, especially for companies like Dell, who don't actually produce anything, reducing carbon emissions is something that will rather save the company some cash and improve sales due to a better eco-friendly image. However, things are not the same with those who actually make the computer parts which Dell is assembling into PCs. By comparison, Hewlett-Packard produces around 2 million tons of carbon dioxide, while IBM produces around 2.8 million tons. The large difference is probably due to the fact that the two companies actually manufacture parts.

Dell Inc., the world’s second-largest computer producer, announced a week ago that it reached a deal with Gome, China’s largest chain of electronics stores, to distribute its personal computers and notebooks all over their country in an attempt to increase their slice of the Chinese booming market. Sales will start through 50 Gome stores followed by an extension to more stores in the first half of next year. The Chinese retailer has approximately 950 stores across Chinese 210 cities.