Intel committed Wednesday to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its global operations by 2040 and develop more sustainable solutions.
The company seeks to increase the energy efficiency and lower the carbon footprint of its products, and collaborates with customers and industry partners to develop solutions that reduce the overall technology ecosystem’s greenhouse gas footprint.
However, Intel faces a challenge since the majority of its emissions come from the materials used to manufacture computer chips, which is the tech giant’s key product.
As a result, Intel has stated that it may use carbon offsets, a method of reducing climate impacts by taking actions to pay for its own emissions. Environmentalists argue that carbon offsets don't entirely compensate for emissions. Intel thus says that offsets will be counted toward its net zero target only if all other options have been exhausted.
In a statement released Wednesday, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger stated, “The impact of climate change is an urgent global threat. Protecting our planet demands immediate action and fresh thinking about how the world operates.”
Intel claims to have emitted over 3 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide globally in 2020. The rest was due to the company’s manufacturing process, refrigeration, and air travel, which accounted for around a third of the total.
Intel said it intends to replace the chemicals it now uses to create semiconductors with alternatives that have a lower carbon footprint while still providing technological advancements, in collaboration with others in the chip business.
According to the company, its facilities in the United States have been running on renewable energy for almost a decade, and its goal is to replicate that standard across its global operations by 2030. Intel also stated that it will seek to urge its suppliers to peruse higher environmental standards and design more energy-efficient computers.
Intel’s net-zero goal follows on the heels of other tech behemoths pledging to reduce carbon emissions. Microsoft has committed to becoming carbon negative by 2050 by reversing carbon emissions over the course of its business life. Apple has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2030, while Google plans to become the world's first corporation to operate 24/7 on zero-carbon energy by 2030.
