Intel releases its 2010 CSR report

Intel published its tenth CSR report, and it's impressive. Also, they were just listed as one of the top three leaders in procurement of renewable energy according to the 'Corporate Renewable Energy Index'.

I wanted to share some of the key takeaways from the environmental portion of the report, maybe it can provide some ideas for others working on their own company reports:

• Linking employee compensation to environmental performance--although it's still only a small part of their overall employee bonus calculation, rewarding employees monetarily for in areas such as carbon management and energy efficiency is a breakthrough idea



• Sustainability in Action Grant programs--employees have applied and received grant money from Intel and accomplished projects such as rainwater collection for water cooling towers in India, boiler emissions capture for consumption of algae to for use as biofuel, and a coral reef documentation system that uses Intel technology



• Waste reduction--Intel claims they recycle at least 80% of solid waste. One interesting thing they did was give 25 tons of unused silicon wafers to a solar panel company for integration into their manufacturing processes.



• Large scale renovation---clearly we see the impact of a large corporation--Intel was able to recycle 2,225 tons of material as part of a renovation of 1 million sq ft of office space.



• Improving product energy efficiency---they estimate that the new energy efficient Intel Core technology has saved 26 terrawatt hours of electricity compared to the outdated technology between 2006 and 2009. One particular area that will be important in the years to come as data centers become larger is server processor technology. Finally, another issue of key significance is the elimination of lead from products. Intel claims to be working with governments, NGOs, and industry to "balance environmental protection with working technical solutions".



• Applying technology to environmental challenges---this is a great way for Intel to prove its worth in the environmental, and they cite many projects, from a home energy management system, to wireless energy sensing technology, to technologies that can detect pollution or naturally occuring toxins that may be caused by climate change.

For more information on how your company can begin to implement realistic, strategic sustainable solutions, please visit the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence website at http://www.cse-net.org/.