Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Sustainability at Intel

INTEL CSR AND SUSTAINABILITY :-

Intel is a  leading technology brand and among the top fifty in the Fortune 500 list. Founded by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore in 1968, Intel has enjoyed very fast growth during the recent years. 2018 was the most profitable year in its history. In the recent years, the company has changed its business model from PC Centric to data centric. This move has been highly successful and the results are showing in the form of better revenues and profits. Intel is an innovative brand that invests a large sum in research and innovation.

Apart from that, like most other leading technology brands, it also invests in CSR and sustainability. The focus of technology businesses like Intel has increased on corporate social responsibility and sustainability during the last decade. Both these areas have grown important for reducing operational costs, creating a responsible image and for minimizing the impact upon the environment.

The company is committed to operating with transparency and also works to develop trustful relationships with all stakeholders. It involves key stakeholders in its CSR and sustainability initiatives. Intel also empowers its employees to give back to the communities where it operates. These efforts have resulted in higher recognition including being a leading corporate citizen and one of the most ethical companies as well as one of the best employers for women.

Take a look at the key steps that Intel has taken in both these areas during the recent years.

More About Intel : KEY STATISTICS

Corporate Social Responsibility : –

Economic opportunity:

Intel company invests in the local communities where it operates. It offers high-skill and high-paying jobs at Intel sites around the world. Its R&D ecosystem spending, sourcing activities, consumer spending by our employees, and tax revenue also impact the local economies. To spur economic growth and innovation the company  also makes sizeable investments and provides leadership in public private partnerships.

Public Policy and Political Accountability :-

Public policy issues are also an important focus area for Intel. The company works with governments, organisations, and industries globally to advocate for policies which encourage new ideas, promote fair commerce, and protect resources. The company also makes efforts to educate political candidates about the possible implications of public policy decisions for its business, and financially support the candidates holding positions consistent with its business objectives.

Its trade association memberships help it collaborate with the other companies and groups for addressing key public policy issues. In 2018, Intel grew its lobbying expenditure to $4 million as compared to $3.7 million in 2017.

Social Impact :-

Intel is leading the industry in several areas like AI,  Autonomous driving and 5G wireless. These technologies are being used to empower individuals as well as organisations and governments to handle and address major societal challenges. Intel also works to empower people through education. It has started several social initiatives aimed at engaging external stakeholders and advancing the interests of its employees. Moreover, the company is working for the empowerment of women around the world.

Intel ‘She Will Connect’ program is aimed at empowering millions of women around the globe. Through this program, the company has partnered with several local and global partners to provide millions of women technology skills training and empower them. The company also aims to reach more than 5 million women in Sub Saharan Africa by 2020.

 Intel offers its employees resources to serve the society and communities in which it operates. In the past ten years, Intel employees have contributed more than 10 million hours of volunteering to the service of their local communities. Intel employees actively share their expertise and skills through technological training initiatives.

In 2018, the company had set an ambitious target of more than 50,000 Intel employees donating more than 1 million hours to volunteering. However, it ended up far exceeding the target with more than 68,000 employees donating more than 1.5 million hours to volunteering. The company has also engaged and involved its suppliers in its corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives.

Sustainability at Intel:

Intel is consistently moving towards having the minimum environmental footprint. This does not just help it achieve efficiency but also to reduce costs. The company is investing in conservation projects and sets organisation-wide environmental targets regularly. Company wide environmental targets seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, water use, and waste generation. The focus of the company is to make its products more and more energy efficient  as well as help its customers reduce their carbon footprint and grow their energy efficiency. Intel also engages with policy makers and other stakeholders to identify opportunities where technology can be used to address environmental challenges.

Climate and Energy:

The focus of Intel is on reducing its environmental footprint and the company has been able to reduce its direct carbon footprint significantly. Intel is also among one of the leading corporate purchasers of green power. The company has invested more than $200 million in conservation projects since 2012. The result was that  it saved more than 4 billion Kilowatt hours and around $500 million in cash savings. Apart from energy savings in its own processes, the company is also working to improve its handprint or help others save on energy consumption through Intel’s technologies. Intel also collaborates at local and international level to engage public policy stakeholders on climate change.

Greener Workplaces : –

Intel has been using green design standards and concepts into its buildings since long. The company is designing all its new buildings with the goal to achieve a minimum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. Till now, it has achieved  LEED certification for more than 17 million sq feet or at least a quarter of its operational space.

Arrival of IoT has also helped with increasing the sustainability of workplaces. IoT has made it easier to smartly manage green buildings. The company is working with its ecosystem partners to advance the solutions and opportunities in this area and to incorporate these technologies into its own green building strategies.  One of the newest offices that Intel has built in Bangalore, India has received LEED Platinum certification. This building is equipped with more than 9,000 sensors. Energy demand of the building is also 50% lower compared to most traditional office buildings in the area.

Waste management and recycling :-

Waste management and recycling also help organisations at minimising their environmental footprint and maximise efficiency. In this area, Intel has performed well in last five years. During this period, the company has recycled more than 84% of the nonhazardous waste generated in its operations. Intel has also set ambitious goals in this area for future. By 2020, the company aims to grow the percentage of recycled nonhazardous waste to 90%. Apart from that, it also aims to send zero hazardous waste to the landfills by 2020. The main objective of the company is to reduce the waste it generates and increase the amount of waste it recycles.

Water Stewardship : –

Intel has set ambitious plans in the area of water stewardship as well. The company uses water in its semiconductor manufacturing process. It uses ultrapure water to remove impurities from its silicon wafers. Moreover, the company uses industrial and reclaimed water to run its manufacturing facility systems. The sustainable water management efforts made by Intel have helped it conserve billions of gallons of water.

The company has returned around 80% of the water back to its communities. In 2018, Intel continued to progress towards its goal to restore 100% of its global water use by 2025. In this area, Intel is funding collaborative community-based projects to restore water in amounts equivalent to its consumption.

Supply chain sustainability : –

Intel partners with its suppliers  also in its management of environmental impact and as a part of its sustainable efforts. This has helped the company reduce costs, manage supply chain risks better as well as achieve its own sustainability goals. In 2018, the company received a Leadership A rating in the area of supplier engagement from CDP. CDP evaluates global companies on their environmental disclosure.

Intel received this rating for its encouragement of suppliers to be more transparent in terms of their climate and environmental footprint. The company also aspires to reach 90% compliance annually in each of its 12 environmental, labor, ethics, health and safety, and diversity and inclusion supplier expectations. Moreover, Intel is planning to implement an enhanced green chemistry screening and selection process for 100% of new chemicals and gases by 2020.

Overall, Intel’s efforts in the area of corporate social responsibility and sustainability have brought impressive results. The company has been able to engage suppliers, customers and other internal and external stakeholders including employees very well in these area. It  has formed special policies in the area of human rights as well. Some other key focus areas for Intel include better water management, higher supplier engagement and women’s empowerment. The company has set ambitious goals for itself for 2020 and is investing both technological and financial resources for the achievement of these goals.

• Sources:
• Intel Annual Report 2018
• Intel CSR Report 2018