Manufacturing & Supply Chain

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are creating new ways to show they care about their employees, customers, and cities. I have written about companies like AWS , Amazon, Cloudera, Dell Technologies, Google,  HPE, HP, IBM,  Intel, Microsoft, ON Semiconductor, Pega, Qualcomm ,  Apple, Cisco, Honeywell, HP Inc., IBM, NVIDIA, and T-Mobile really stepping up their short-term COVID19 efforts.

Long-term, though, many companies have invested heavily in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs as well. My research shows that more and more employees, shareholders and suppliers want to work for and do businesses that better align with their own corporate or personal beliefs.

Intel just released their annual social Responsibility Report where it launched a new 2030 strategy and goals to improve its CSR impact. Other companies, such as Cisco, have amped upped its CSR in previous years, even before COVID-19. Intel says it is determined to stay in the forefront of the CSR movement and make big moves to not only improve the tech world, and standards for its workers, but also make the world a greener, and safer place.

Intel 2019 CSR and COVID-19

Intel had a formidable 2019 for CSR. In 2019, Intel said it was successful in reducing greenhouse gases, increasing use of renewable energy, reducing their water use, achieving its diverse workforce goal two years ahead of time, and increasing annual spending through diverse suppliers. Intel has been awarded numerous CSR awards over the years but says it is still striving to do more for the community and customers. With Intel’s business changing from just PCs to more of a data-driven opportunity (go where the data is), Intel is motivated to create new ways to continue advancing progress on complex issues with customers and stakeholders.

As the business is advancing and growing, so are Intel’s expectations from its shareholders, especially regarding CSR. Expectations are also growing for customers and employees, particularly during this time of dealing with COVID-19, and Intel is determined to be a leader in this time. No longer are companies judged on solely on profitability, but also, impact on society, or lack thereof. Intel committed $50 million dollars to pandemic response technology and the initiative to fight the coronavirus.

You can find an interview I did with Intel’s  Jeff Rittener, Chief Government Affairs Office and Darcy Ortiz, head of Corporate Services and the team responsible for the company’s Pandemic leadership team here. It’s enlightening that the company has had a pandemic team for so long.

Intel 2030

Just weeks ago, Intel launched its 2030 CSR strategy and goals. Intel says its purpose is to create world changing technology that enriches the lives of every person on earth, and this is deeply enriched by CSR. Therefore, Intel has created a new RISE framework (Intel calls it a strategy) for CSR, to be more (R)esponsible, (I)nclusive, and (S)ustainable to (E)nable global challenges, tech industry initiatives, and Intel operational and supply chain goals. No one company, business, or person can change the world alone, but Intel believes that through innovative technology, it can enable people to make a real change and positive difference.

Intel’s 2030 CSR Goals and Initiatives include operational and supply chain goals, industry Initiatives, and global challenges. All three of these kinds of goals will include plans to enable responsibility, inclusivity, and sustainability in all three of these realms.

Supply chain

Starting off with Intel’s operational and supply chain goals, the company wants to continue to improve the way it reaches its customers and their efficiency regarding their supply chain and operations to help their customers reach their own CSR goals.

Intel wants to up responsibility by ensuring that:

·        “90% of employees believe that Intel has a strong safety culture, and 50% participate in their global corporate wellness program”

·        ensuring respects for human rights across suppliers

·        delivering over 10 million community service hours company-wide to improve communities

Intel is determined to improve inclusivity within operations and supply chain by:

·        doubling the number of women and minority numbers in senior leadership roles

·        having better accessibility for workers with disabilities

·        increasing global spending with diverse suppliers by 100%

Intel wants to grow sustainability within operations and supply chains by:

·        making sure that 100% of energy use is renewable

·        conserving energy

·        reducing carbon emissions by 10%

·        increasing product energy efficiency for microprocessors

·        achieving net positive water use by conserving 60 billion gallons of water

·        achieving zero total waste to landfills

Industry initiatives

Next, Intel also wants to improve its CSR in the Technology industry with initiatives to better the broader industry, again having to do with responsibility, inclusivity, and sustainability. Do you sense a pattern here? 😊

Intel wants to enable responsibility by using responsible minerals and lead the industry in new sourcing standards, and “…[advancing] the adoption of technology-neutral safety standards to reduce traffic accidents globally”. Intel is also attempting to enable inclusivity in the tech industry by driving full inclusion and accessibility throughout the industry by creating a Global Inclusion Index to advance progress with common metrics and expanding the pipeline of talent through STEM programs. Intel wants to enable sustainability in the tech industry by creating a way to reduce emissions in the semiconductor manufacturing industry and increasing technology to reduce climate impact and using greener circulation and chemistry strategies across the technology industry value chain by “transforming chemical footprint methodology”.

Global challenges

As the third strut in the plan, Intel’s new 2030 challenges globally are to again increase responsibility, inclusivity, and sustainability worldwide. Through revolutionizing technology regarding health and safety, expanding digital readiness to improve inclusivity, and address climate change by achieving carbon neutral computing, Intel wants to tackle global problems and truly make a difference.

In addition to improving responsibility, inclusivity, and sustainability for customers, companywide, and worldwide, Intel has already started new and exciting ways to improve the community now. First off, Intel has partnered with healthcare and government organizations to improve the cloud, AI, and high-performance technology solutions to better treat and diagnose patients with COVID-19 and to help improve reactions in the future to problems. Also, Intel AI for the Youth is providing programs for over 100,000 students in 10 countries to provide opportunities for children and allowing different communities to be empowered through the powers of technology. Lastly, Intel wants to create the most sustainable PC in the world to eliminate waste.

Wrapping up

I believe Intel has always strived to make a difference in the community through high CSR standards and, like Cisco, was doing it before it was cool. In 2019 Intel received many awards for its impressive CSR and amidst the COVID-19 crisis, we see it attempting to make a change in the way they run as a business and how it affects the world, too. The company is now partnering with many people to try and globally tackle problems through the power of technology and the company’s 2030 goals are a positive way to start off the new decade.

Moor Insights & Strategy intern Catherine Moorhead contributed to this article.

Disclosure: Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or has provided paid research, analysis, advising, or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry, including Amazon.com, Advanced Micro Devices, Apstra, ARM Holdings, Aruba Networks, AWS, A-10 Strategies, Bitfusion, Cisco Systems, Dell, Dell EMC, Dell Technologies, Diablo Technologies, Digital Optics, Dreamchain, Echelon, Ericsson, Foxconn, Frame, Fujitsu, Gen Z Consortium, Glue Networks, GlobalFoundries, Google, HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Huawei Technologies, IBM, Intel, Interdigital, Jabil Circuit, Konica Minolta, Lattice Semiconductor, Lenovo, Linux Foundation, MACOM (Applied Micro), MapBox, Mavenir, Mesosphere, Microsoft, National Instruments, NetApp, NOKIA, Nortek, NVIDIA, ON Semiconductor, ONUG, OpenStack Foundation, Panasas, Peraso, Pixelworks, Plume Design, Portworx, Pure Storage, Qualcomm, Rackspace, Rambus, Rayvolt E-Bikes, Red Hat, Samsung Electronics, Silver Peak, SONY, Springpath, Sprint, Stratus Technologies, Symantec, Synaptics, Syniverse, TensTorrent, Tobii Technology, Twitter, Unity Technologies, Verizon Communications, Vidyo, Wave Computing, Wellsmith, Xilinx, Zebra, which may be cited in this article.

Reference: Forbes.com