Natural Capital

Driving to the lowest environmental footprint possible helps create efficiencies, lower costs, and respond to the needs of our stakeholders. We invest in conservation projects and set company-wide environmental targets to drive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, water use, and waste generation. We build energy efficiency into our products to help our customers lower their own emissions and energy costs, and we collaborate with policymakers and other stakeholders to use technology to address environmental challenges. We achieved our 2020 greenhouse gas goal, reducing our emissions 39% on a per unit basis from 2010 levels. Through our 2030 goals we will continue to drive to higher levels of operational efficiency, including a further 10% reduction in our carbon emissions on an absolute basis even as we continue to grow. Our 2030 strategy and goals also focus on improving product energy efficiency and increasing our "handprint"—the ways in which Intel technologies can help others reduce their footprints, including Internet of Things solutions that enable intelligence in machines, buildings, supply chains, and factories, and make electrical grids smarter, safer, and more efficient.

Climate And Energy

We focus on reducing our own climate impact, and over the past two decades have reduced our direct emissions and indirect emissions associated with energy consumption. We achieved our 2020 energy goal, saving more than 4.5 billion kWh since 2012 by investing in energy conservation projects in our global operations. In 2020, we conserved more than 155 million kWh of energy in support of our new 2030 goal to conserve an additional 4 billion kWh of energy over the next 10 years. In addition to conserving energy, we invest in green power and on-site alternative energy projects that provide power directly to our buildings. We continue to link a portion of our executive and employee compensation to corporate responsibility metrics. In 2020, these included a climate-related metric to use 75% renewable energy globally during the year, which supports our 2030 goal to achieve 100% renewable energy use across our global manufacturing operations. In 2020, we signed on to RE100, a global coalition of businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity use. 

We are committed to transparency around our carbon footprint and climate risk and use the framework developed by the TCFD to inform our disclosure on climate governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets. For governance and strategy, we follow an integrated approach to address climate change, with multiple teams responsible for managing climate-related activities, initiatives, and policies. Strategies and progress toward goals are reviewed with senior executives and the Intel Board of Directors' Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. We describe our overall risk management processes in our Proxy Statement, and describe our climate-related risks and opportunities in our annual Corporate Responsibility Report, the Intel Climate Change Policy, and "Risk Factors" within this Form 10-K. In addition to what is included within this Form 10-K, results of our 2020 goals and information on our 2030 goals, are included in our Corporate Responsibility Report. Our Corporate Responsibility Report includes a mapping of our disclosure to the TCFD, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board framework, and our CDP Climate Change Survey, all available on our website.¹

Water Stewardship

Water is essential to the semiconductor manufacturing process. We use ultrapure water to remove impurities from our silicon wafers, and we use fresh and reclaimed water to run our manufacturing facility systems. Over the past decade, our sustainable water management efforts and partnerships have enabled us to conserve billions of gallons of water, and through our 2030 goals we have committed to conserve an additional 60 billion gallons in this decade. As part of this commitment, we plan to achieve net positive water use globally. In 2020, we linked a portion of our executive and employee compensation to our target to conserve more than 5 billion gallons of water in our operations and fund new water restoration projects in collaboration with environmental and community partners that restore more than 1 billion gallons of water during the year to local watersheds.

Circular Economy And Waste Management

We have long been committed to waste management, recycling, and circular economy strategies that enable the recovery and productive re-use of waste streams. We achieved our 2020 waste management goals, reaching a 93% recycle rate for our non-hazardous waste and sending zero hazardous waste to landfills.² Our 2030 goals include a target of zero total waste to landfill, as well as implementation of circular economy strategies for 60% of our manufacturing waste streams in partnership with our suppliers. This can include reuse of waste streams directly in our own operations or enabling reuse of our waste streams by other industries.

¹ The contents of our website and our Corporate Responsibility Report, Climate Change Policy, and CDP Climate Change Survey are referenced for general information only and are not incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K.

² We define zero hazardous waste to landfill as 1% or less.