HP says it has reached its goal of recycling approximately half a billion kilograms of electronic equipment six months early.

After the printer manufacturer had recycled a quarter of a billion kilograms in 2004, it set itself a target to double this by December 2007 taking back equipment from customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

It said this was achieved through conventional take-back schemes and teaming up with local organisations to provide refurbished computers to charities.

Mark Hurd, HP chairman and chief executive officer, said: “Environmental responsibility is good business.

“We’ve reached the tipping point where the price and performance of IT are no longer compromised by being green, but are now enhanced by it.”

However, HP's recycling achievements have not impressed Greenpeace.

Zeina Alhajj, spokeswoman for the organisation, said: “According to HP’s own data, the half a billion kilograms of recycling that it has already achieved is only 10 per cent of the products it is putting on the market.”

She said that this was not enough for a global company which made so many different products and such big profits.

“HP has been instrumental in leading the rest of the industry with recycling targets with Apple and Lenovo following it closely; therefore it needs to set itself and the rest of the industry higher targets,” she told Computeractive.

Alhajj also criticised HP's plans to recycle another half billion kilograms by the end of 2010.

She said: “There is no challenge in not increasing a recycling goal. HP, like Apple, should be looking to recycle at least a third or half of all its products to make an environmental difference.”

Greenpeace also highlighted the need for HP to review its hazardous chemical disposal policy as "it currently does not consider this in its environmental approach”.