Many IBM Plants Fail to Hit Their Recycling Goals

IBM produces an annual environmental scorecard where it publicly reports its progress against goals on recycling, carbon footprint, supplier diversity, and a host of other socially responsible issues. The public reporting is unusual, and commendable. IBM is making nice gains, for example, in use of recycled plastics, but seems to have hit a plateau. The percentage of recycled materials purchased for use in its products was 3.8 percent in 2004 and peaked at 11.7 percent in 2006. The percentage  last year was 10.3.In 2007, IBM developed a server system package made from 100 percent recycled-content materials. The package included nestable  high-density polyethylene cushions made in part from recycled milk jugs, a 100 percent recycled content poly bag for dust protection and an outer carton made from 100 percent recycled fiber.

The report shows that fewer IBM facilities are meeting their annual recycling goals. The percentage started at 59 percent in 2004, rose to 63 percent in 2006, and then dropped to 41 percent last year. The company’s efforts to re-use materials at the end of their life are also flagging. The percentage was 14.5 in 2004 and had dropped to 7.1 percent last year. Many other metrics, however, show solid improvement, including energy conservation; renewable energy procured, and water conservation in microelectronics manufacturing. Click here for a copy of the full report.