BENAGAPURU: Lenovo, has announced its 14th Annual Sustainability (ESG) Report which highlights Lenovo’s CSR & Environmental Sustainability goals for India. One such highlight from the report is for FY 2019/20 Lenovo purchased renewable commodities that supported 100 percent renewable energy projects in India, especially to support the production of wind energy.
Lenovo’s Sustainability Program measures the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) activities that impacts the stakeholders and business. Lenovo as an organization, believes that the identification of material concerns related to ESG is integral to achieving the business goals of minimizing risk and maximizing growth and returns on capital while fulfilling the commitment to outstanding corporate citizenship.
Lenovo is one of the 100 most sustainable corporations in the world
Lenovo has been recognized by Corporate Knights as one of the 100 most sustainable corporations in the world. The 17th annual ranking of the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations is the result of a rigorous assessment of 8,080 companies with more than US$1 billion revenue. Lenovo was ranked #78 overall, marking an increased rank from #97 in last year’s assessment. Corporate Knights’ rigorous assessment is based on a methodology that includes 24 key performance indicators (KPIs) covering resource management, employee management, financial management, clean revenue and clean investments, and supplier performance.
Environmental Sustainability
In January 2020, Lenovo earned the 2-Leaf Certification by Green Freight Asia (GFA) which is a non-profit organization focused on reducing fuel costs and emissions. Lenovo’s GSC Pondicherry manufacturing team in India was also recognized withTwo National Awards – “Best in Class — Manufacturing ICON Award” and “Best in Class — Enterprise Quality Management Award”.
As per the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Objectives and Targets set by Lenovo during FY 2019/20, the organization achieved a 92 percent emissions reduction relative to FY 2009/10. Scope 1 and Scope 2 reductions were accomplished by implementing energy efficiency projects, using solar sources at sites, and purchasing renewable energy certificates from renewable projects in India amongst other countries.
While the company ensures product carbon footprint is published for all new Lenovo products, it will also develop and establish an internal LCA (life-cycle assessment) platform before March 31, 2021 and will perform LCA for at least one selected product by March 31, 2021.
Way Forward
Moving forward and building on the success of 2020 target, Lenovo has identified new goals that will make a bigger impact on reducing climate change, bringing the world closer to a Net Zero Greenhouse Gas future. By 2030 Lenovo will commit to reducing scope 1 and 2 direct emissions (emissions related to operations including energy purchased for electricity, heat, steam, and cooling) by 50 percent; and reducing scope 3 emissions intensity throughout its value chain by 25 percent. Within its value chain, Lenovo is focusing on decreasing emissions across three categories, including the use of sold products (for notebooks, desktops, and servers); purchased goods and services; and upstream transportation. The company is also identifying what it will take to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
“At Lenovo, we know that sustainability is an ongoing journey. Our obligation to our stakeholders does not end with our finished products or workplaces. Recent global events have helped us reflect on the measurable impact our activity has on our communities and our planet. I am hopeful that we can work together and be inspired by these lessons to address sustainability challenges in the future.” – Rahul Agarwal, CEO and Managing Director, Lenovo India
Corporate Social Responsibility
Lenovo Motorola Skills Academy– Lenovo India CSR has invested US$100,000 in the Lenovo and Motorola Skills Academy program, which offers counselling, training, skill assessments, and placement for candidates who complete the program. Lenovo’s partner Children’s Love Castles Trust India empowers teachers by designing digital STEM tools for student learning. Through these accessible resources, 61,000 teachers have been trained and upskilled to impact 1.8 million students in 12,000 classrooms. Lenovo has collaborated with Meghshala Trust, a not-for-profit, to promote education technology and to support teacher training and value education systems across India. With Lenovo’s investment of US$80k, Meghshala implemented e-learning classrooms in Karnataka, Manipur, Sikkim, and Meghalaya.