2Sustain

Yesterday, HP released its 2008 Global Citizenship Report, a document describing the company’s policies, programs, performance, and goals across a variety of CSR issues, including climate change and human rights.  Two versions are available: one is the full-length report, and the other is a shorter, 20-page .pdf designed for enterprise and public sector customers.

Here are a few of the company’s most notable achievements from last year:

• HP cut global GHG emissions from operations 4% compare with 2007 in absolute terms and 13% normalized to revenue.

• In 2008, HP recovered for reuse 3.5 million hardware units weighing 75 million pounds, and the company increased its recycling volume to 265 million pounds globally.

• HP led the industry in reporting GHG emissions to first-tier suppliers, representing more that 80% of total product manufacturing spend.

• The company audited 142 suppliers at 246 facilities for compliance with code of conduct.

• HP contributed over $46 million in cash and products to help support projects in schools and throughout the greater community

I was pleased to see that this report devotes several pages specifically to HP’s supply chain responsibilities. After all, HP is the world’s largest IT company. It has the industry’s most extensive supply chain, most of which is located in emerging and developing countries. Who better than HP to step up as a global leader, championing human rights, improved labor practices, and enhanced environmental standards?

In the report, HP says it is committed to achieving a wide spectrum of CSR improvements throughout its supply chain. To meet these goals, the company is:

• Engaging large and small suppliers (representing over 95% of spending on product materials, components and manufacturing) at their factories.

• Building social and environmental responsibility (SER) competencies in the supply chain by directly engaging suppliers’ workers and management.

• Collaborating with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments and members of the electronics industry to inform, validate and improve its CSR efforts.

• Reporting fully and transparently the results of supplier audits, remediation efforts and training.

• Integrating social and environmental requirements into sourcing operations.

The HP report also includes a supplier list, which the company hopes will help promote “transparency and progress in raising social and environmental standards in the electronics industry supply chain.”

According to the latest report from Greenpeace, the electronics industry is making progress toward sustainability goals. However, there are several areas that still need more work –such as designing out toxic chemicals, improving energy efficiencies, and enhancing recyclability and lifecycle analyses. By focusing on its supply chain responsbilities, HP will be able to meet challenges like these and emerge as a global sustainability leader.